


Sunrise

by nyamgi



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternative Universe - Kingdom, Angst, Bottom Jung Wooyoung, Boys In Love, Boys' Love, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Forbidden, Forbidden Love, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Gay, Gay Panic, Historical, Implied Mpreg, King Kim Hongjoong, Kings & Queens, Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Mpreg, Old Friends, Prince Jung Wooyoung, Princes & Princesses, Royalty, Strangers to Lovers, Top Choi San, Unrequited Love, Woosan, courtesan - Freeform, jongsang, seongjoong, yungi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-11-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:00:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 30,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23531245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nyamgi/pseuds/nyamgi
Summary: "I can't bear to let you go, Wooyoung...""I've missed the feeling I felt that night when we slept together in your bed, I've missed the way you held me..."A story in which Prince Wooyoung decides to befriend one of the local courtesans named San. What will happen when two men from opposite sides of the kingdom fall headfirst into an unlikely and forbidden romantic relationship?
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Kang Yeosang, Choi San/Jung Wooyoung, Jeong Yunho/Song Mingi, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 10
Kudos: 150





	1. Chapter One

A man in a loose white shirt, slipping off of his shoulder slightly, and tight brown trousers stumbles through the hidden door in Wooyoung's bedroom. His clothes looked as though he makes very little and has better things to spend his money on than trying to dress to impress. Wooyoung's cheeks become noticeably redder at the man's exposed shoulder.

Up close, he looks even more familiar, but not completely ringing a bell in Wooyoung's head. He stands up from his bed, smiling in a friendly manner as he goes to greet the man.

"Hello," Wooyoung starts but doesn't get to say anything else because the man begins to remove his oversized shirt completely, revealing his thin, yet fit, torso.

Wooyoung instantly turns away from him, becoming flustered in his actions as the redness from his cheeks spread to his whole face, "Wh-What in the heavens are you doing?" Wooyoung stammers.

The man replies quickly with no hesitation in his husky tone of voice, "My job."

Wooyoung shakes his head, immensely uncomfortable with the current situation he's found himself in. He's about to call for his guards to escort the man out, but Wooyoung's head fills with intrusive and embarrassing thoughts, having never witnessed a man de-clothe like the man standing in front of him. They overtake any thought he had of once calling for help.

Wooyoung is unsure of what to think, but he presses on, keeping his head down, "Please clothe yourself immediately. I don't know why you've imagined it wise to de-clothe in front of your Prince, but I only wish to speak with you."

After a moment, Wooyoung hears some rustling and trusts that the man has put his shirt back on, so Wooyoung feels safe to return his eyes to him. Wooyoung goes over and sits on the chair facing the couch, beckoning for the man to sit on the couch across from him. He does as Wooyoung suggests in quick succession, allowing him to get a sense of his personality by the way he moves. He's light on his feet, but that could just be from his low weight. Wooyoung can't be sure.

He looks at Wooyoung questioningly as if he's never gotten this type of request before.

Wooyoung notices his soft brown eyes now that he's closer to him and he looks away, still embarrassed about the situation he was just in with him.

Wooyoung's always been the shiest and most modest of his family, so the past situation won't be able to leave his mind so easily.

Mother would not be happy about this. Wooyoung knows she would mock him for being so dull and call him all sorts of names imaginable.

A shirtless man in his bedroom with him? How improper. Especially for a young man such as himself looking for a decent person to marry.

Yeosang, Wooyoung's head maid, found him while out at the shops, remembering the clear description Wooyoung gave of him - and he happened to be wearing the exact clothes that he had described when he first witnessed him.

Perhaps his work attire?

Yeosang gave him a letter, explaining the hidden passageway that led to the hidden door into Wooyoung's room, where it was and when to come. Yeosang knows Wooyoung's schedule like the back of his hand, so it was easy for him to choose a time and date that would not be interrupted by Wooyoung's father or instructors.

He told Wooyoung as soon as he got back, explaining that he told him about the entrance and that he told the man that's how Wooyoung would want him to come in.

Wooyoung's father, the King, may not mind a visitor of the lower class, but his mother...?

She very much _would_ mind.

Wooyoung's father has always been a kind and patient man, Yeosang always saying that he has a soft spot in his heart for Wooyoung. He's been one to almost always take Wooyoung's side in matters but is cautious when those matters involving his wife, the queen who is Wooyoung's mother.

"You wish to speak with me, Prince?" the man exclaims, seemingly shocked.

Wooyoung nods at him, "Yes, I have seen you in town from there," he points at the large window near his bed, "and for some reason, you piqued my interest. You look familiar to me somehow and I would like to know more about you, but first, I must know why you thought it wise to de-clothe upon entrance." Wooyoung demands, his voice rising a bit to show his authority.

The man looks frazzled, shaking his head and lowering it into a bow, "I am so sorry, Prince. I did not know the reason you called me up here, I thought it was a request for my services." He stops when he sees that Wooyoung's face has become confused.

"Services?" Wooyoung asks unsurely.

"Yes. You see, I am a courtesan at the Hide."

Wooyoung looks at him with widened eyes, never have expected for that to come out of his mouth when he asked.

Wooyoung's face heats up once again, realizing what the man thought he called him up here to his room to do and Wooyoung shakes his head in an embarrassed manner, "Oh, no no no... I didn't- I... I most definitely did not call you here for _that_ ," Wooyoung insists, "not that you aren't handsome and all, but that is not who I am."

Wooyoung stands his ground, not wanting the man to think of him in the same light as the likes of the people that do request those services from him. Wooyoung's heart falls a bit when he realizes how casual the man was about this whole thing in the beginning when he first arrived though...

He must get these kinds of requests from people high up in social ranking often and it makes Wooyoung shudder.

Does Wooyoung really know everyone as well as he thought he did?

Wooyoung begins to wonder about the man sitting in front of him, getting curious about how he ended up in this type of job.

"What is your name?" Wooyoung asks, figuring to start here after remembering that he has no idea what his name is.

"My name is San,"

"That's an interesting name," Wooyoung smiles, knowing that his name means 'mountain' and hoping that being friendly will calm both of their nerves, but maybe it's just his own acting up, "San, could you tell me more about your... Profession?"

San chuckles at Woooyoung's hesitation in mentioning his work, "Do you want all of the gory details or the squeaky clean version?" He smirks towards him and Wooyoung recoils in his seat.

A man has never spoken to him in such a way before and he doesn't know what to think about it.

San shakes his head and chuckles once again, "I'm just yanking your chain, Prince. You seem a little tense, especially with how our first encounter went when I arrived... I mean, I can understand why, but you don't have to be so on-edge. I know my place and I would never think of doing something like that again now that I know of your true intentions."

"Of course," Wooyoung smiles, straightening his posture so that his shoulders are even, "the clean version, if you will."

San nods and begins talking about his life as a courtesan, "For me, it's a little easier than for the other courtesans -- especially the new ones. I've been working at the Hide since I was around 13-years-old, and yes, I know the legal age for courtesans to start is 16-years-of-age, but that's just when I arrived there. From thirteen until I was sixteen, I trained and did chores around the place. Lucky for me, the head of the Hide, Seonghwa, took me under his wing and I spent most of my teen years with him. He taught me the courtesan ways, having been one himself, but now he just sees over us and trains us to be great at what we do. Well... Back to what I meant about it being easier for me now... Most people set up appointments for my services due to my clients' busy schedules. My week is full of these appointments, but if I'm ever free, I do not decline if someone comes in requesting me without one. Much like you did when you sent your, I assume maid, to talk to me."

Wooyoung shifts in his chair, smiling at him as he speaks, finding everything he says about his job intriguing, to say the least.

Wooyoung wonders how many people he's gotten to talk to so casually like this. He also wonders how San's quality of life truly is... Surely it cannot be that fantastic, especially worrying about all of the disease possibilities, or possible pregnancy issues that could happen. Wooyoung thinks about asking him more about all of these little details that keep his mind wandering.

"I'm sure it can be left to your imagination with what happens during these appointments," San smirks again, but it fades back quickly. He's not used to the formal setting they're in and his normal flirty ways he must act like with his clients tends to slip out.

Wooyoung nods, not wanting to think about all of that, happy that San left out those details as he asked.

San opens his mouth again, "Now, Prince, what do you do in your everyday life, if I may ask?"

"What do I do?" Wooyoung clarifies, probably looking similarly as San did when he told him he just wanted to speak with him. Wooyoung doesn't really have many friends to talk to about his life with or get asked how he's doing much anymore, "I get my breakfast brought to my room to me every morning by Yeosang, always my favorite - a bagel spread with cream cheese," he giggles, "Very royal, I know. Then, I get dressed in whatever Yeosang thinks suits the day ahead of me. Recently, I've been meeting with my father, discussing the people he and my mother have chosen as my potential suitors,"

Wooyoung rolls his eyes just thinking about it, let alone mentioning it, "As you know, the marrying age for princes and princesses is sixteen, and I've just turned eighteen. My mother has been pushing for me to get married, having wanted me out as soon as I turned sixteen, but father let me stay and continue my studies like I wanted to do. I'm wrapping up with my court instructors now, but I've been dragging my feet about it a lot..."

Wooyoung trails off, realizing that he went on a slight tangent, never having had someone to talk about these things other than Yeosang since his best friend Yunho was wedded off not too long ago. Wooyoung really hopes that he is doing well. He was always apprehensive of marriage similarly to how Wooyoung is.

San takes everything Wooyoung says in, nodding as he speaks, not thinking to interrupt at any point. How gentlemanly.

"You are not enticed by the idea of marriage, my Prince?" San asks, finding it a bit surprising because he always hears of everyone being excited about finally getting married. San, though, knows marriage is not all it's made out to be, having remembered his own parents' relationship.

Wooyoung sighs, "I just do not know a lot about men other than the ones around the castle. I also know I don't want to have a marriage as my father has with my mother," Wooyoung says, it just slips out of his mouth.

Wooyoung looks up at San sitting on the couch across from him after he says that, but he has no judgment on his face at all, so he continues, "I know my father has grown to love my mother and now loves her very much, but my mother... Sh-She's just... not a good person. I don't believe that she loves him back in the same way that he loves her, and I would never want a marriage like that. I don't want to have to force my feelings for the person I have to marry. I want those feelings to be real. A true feeling of love and happiness. I wouldn't want to have to fake my love in front of all of my people."

San nods, "I understand that, my Prince. No one should be forced to love. Love is a very special thing, that seems like very few get to ever truly experience. Seonghwa has told me stories of when he was young and deeply in love with a man of high status."

Wooyoung smiles, happy that they think similarly on this topic, "I'd like to hear that story if I ever get to meet this Seonghwa man."

Wooyoung turns and sees that the light from his window has begun to darken, indicating the lengthy-time passed while talking with San, "I had an interesting time with you today, San. I'm sorry if I intervened with any appointments you had set up for today, I will be sure that you're compensated for your time here talking with me," He says, keeping his voice prim and proper as he's been taught.

Wooyoung gets up, patting his dress pants out as he walks over to the small hidden entrance by his dresser, "I'd actually like for you to come back here to talk with me once a week... Only if you enjoyed talking to me, that is. Don't worry, I will pay you like all of your normal appointments," he proposes to him, hoping San agrees. There's something about him that Wooyoung finds so... Intriguing.

Wooyoung really misses having someone to talk to like a friend would, and he thinks San would be the perfect fit. He knows it would also give the courtesan a rest from his typical appointment, so he's hopeful that he will want to continue seeing him after this.

San comes next to Wooyoung, looking at him as he speaks to him and he nods, a nice smile coming across San's face, "That would be a lovely change from my usual routine. I think I'll take you up on that offer, Prince, but you really don't have to pay me. I'm not actually performing any services," San says, knowing he really needs the money, but he would hate taking from the Prince like this when he's not even doing his job.

Wooyoung shakes his head, pointing his finger to San's chest, insisting, "No, since I will be taking away from you earning money, I will pay you just like a normal customer. It will be nice to talk to someone, I don't get to talk to many people anymore as I said. Life has been very busy recently with this whole finding a suitor business and it would be a nice break for both of us to have one day a week where we can just talk," Wooyoung ends, speaking with a bright smile, letting his finger lower back down when he realizes it's still pressed against his chest accusingly, "and please San, you can just call me Wooyoung."

"Alright, Princ- I mean, Wooyoung..." San says his name quietly, "I agree. It will be nice to meet here to talk with you every week," he smiles warmly, bowing at his prince, "I had a wonderful evening with you today, Prince Wooyoung. I will see you at the same time next week." He rises, giving Wooyoung one last smile before going through the hidden door by the dresser and out into the city.

After San leaves the room, Wooyoung goes and falls onto his bed, calling for Yeosang. While waiting for his maid to arrive, he thinks about the mysterious courtesan.

San has brilliant brown eyes, the middle of them reminding Wooyoung of the honey Yeosang would put into his tea when he felt ill. That seems fitting, too, because it seems like he would make any day a brighter one. Wooyoung thinks about San's tousled brown hair that seems like it would sometimes fall into his face and disrupt his vision, but it adds to his appeal.

He starts to wonder if it would be soft to the touch but quickly wipes that thought out of his mind. Wooyoung must be thinking too much about this marriage thing. Boys on the brain never do a man any good anyway.

What a boy, though...

Wooyoung tells Yeosang about the meeting and he tells him that San is the most requested courtesan at the Hide. This doesn't surprise Wooyoung at all, but he can't help but feel a twisted feeling inside of his stomach when he thinks about it too much. San has this attractiveness to him that people seem to be drawn to. Wooyoung can see it as clear as day.

Wooyoung also tells Yeosang about San coming once a week to talk together and Yeosang seems happy, happy that Wooyoung's found a friend to talk with since Yunho's marriage. Really, he's probably just glad he's not the only one that has to listen to Wooyoung complaining anymore.

Wooyoung giggles at the thought, knowing that Yeosang sees you like he would see his own son, but even a parental figure can get tired of his son-like friend's ranting.

Wooyoung lays in bed that night, dreading the next day, knowing that he's going to have to face his current situation of picking a suitor eventually. He decides that he'll have to talk to his instructor about trying to lengthen the final course, the art of cooking, as much as he possibly can.

Wooyoung's eyes begin to close after he thinks of his plan, his last thoughts being of excitement for the coming week, when he will get to see his new friend San again...

**End of Chapter One**

\-----------------------------

I rewrote an old story into a Woosan fic, so I hope you all enjoy <3 

This story will update on Tuesdays, Bi-weekly. I hope to see you all for chapter two! After chapter two is where I began writing new, so if these first two seem a bit off~ you know why. Thank you so much.


	2. Chapter Two

Wooyoung was awoken by a knock at his bedroom door, turning over in his bed to see Yeosang coming in with a small tray of breakfast for him. He sits up and hums happily as the breakfast tray is sat on his lap by Yeosang, "Thank you, Sang."

Yeosang bows and smiles at Wooyoung, "How are you this morning, my Prince?"

Wooyoung digs into his breakfast, a bagel with cream cheese, "Much better now," he giggles between bites.

Yeosang sits at the side of Wooyoung's bed, admiring how happy his young prince has been recently. Ever since he had met with that courtesan from the Hide, he's been in a much better mood, Yeosang has noticed. Seeing Wooyoung's genuine smile makes Yeosang feel good, having always considered him like his own son.

Being Wooyoung's head maid, Yeosang has always been the main one to take care of him and tend to his needs rather than his mother or father. The King is always busy with political matters anyhow, but the Queen never would pay him much mind ever since Wooyoung was a young boy. Yeosang saw the way she would look at her son with seeming disgust almost. He never understood why she despised Wooyoung so much...

Yeosang just about had it with the Queen the first time Wooyoung came crying to him, holding his face in an attempt to hide the red marking left on his cheek. Yeosang comforted him and they played a few games to help Wooyoung feel better and forget about what happened. Wooyoung was just a boy then, so it was easy for him to forget, but Yeosang, on the other hand... He didn't forgive and forget so easily.

Especially when it continued happening.

More and more, Wooyoung would come to Yeosang's side and as he got older he wouldn't complain about how it was his mother. He wouldn't say anything like that anymore. Instead, he would blame it on himself and how he fell down or say it was an accident, but Yeosang knew better.

Yeosang eventually was heartbroken that Wooyoung kept not admitting that it was really his mother doing these things, so he sat him down and had a talk with him. Of course, Yeosang was unable to _actually_ do anything about the situation, but he could at least try to teach Wooyoung right from wrong so he would be able to grow up with the correct mindset.

So he did.

Yeosang began teaching Wooyoung outside of his classes about the real-life and about people. He taught him about the world outside of the castle and how cruel it can be, but he told him that everyone has to be strong. Yeosang smiles when he thinks back, remembering how Wooyoung would always say how he was the strongest boy just like Yeosang always told him he was.

When Wooyoung hit adolescence, he didn't want any people around anymore. He just stayed in his room and would keep to himself. Yeosang always hoped it wasn't anything he did or anything his mother or father had done or said. That's just how children are sometimes, though.

After that era, Wooyoung would never come to Yeosang about anything the Queen did anymore. Yeosang can't help but wonder what all goes on around the castle that he doesn't know about. He hates that he doesn't know if she still hits or screams at Wooyoung, but he can't bring himself to ask. He trusts that Wooyoung will come to him if something really bad happens.

That's all he's able to do, only being his maid. Yeosang has had to remind himself throughout the years that Wooyoung's isn't actually his child.

"Yeosang?"

Yeosang is brought back out of his thoughts by Wooyoung's voice.

Wooyoung giggles again when he sees Yeosang come back down to Earth, "Is Mingi still on today to teach me about the art of cooking?"

Yeosang sees Wooyoung had long finished his breakfast, so he takes the tray and sets it in his own lap, nodding at the question he's asked, "Yes, he will be ready for you once you get dressed and head down."

Wooyoung nods and scoots himself out of bed, going over to his wardrobe and looking through it for a few moments before turning his head back to look at Yeosang, "I suppose a nice suit wouldn't be proper for cooking, would it?"

Yeosang shakes his head and chuckles as he comes over, pulling out a more comfortable outfit for Wooyoung, "This will be just fine," he says as he brings it back to the bed.

Wooyoung comes back and admires the soft cotton shirt and pants Yeosang had chosen for him. Wooyoung loved when he could dress more comfortably, thinking it suits him better than his normal formal suits do. He finds himself wondering what San would think of him dressed more casually like this.

Yeosang helps Wooyoung out of his nightgown and takes it while Wooyoung dresses into his day outfit.

"You always look handsome, Prince Wooyoung, but there's something about you dressed like this," Yeosang hums happily and ruffles Wooyoung's hair, "Whomever you pick will be a very lucky lad or lady."

Wooyoung's cheeks turn rosy at Yeosang's mention of picking his lifelong partner. He's thought a lot about love and relationships as he grew up but never acted on any of his crushes he's had. He's always admired them from afar. He's not even sure if he could call them crushes, they're just people he found intriguing and wanted to know more about.

Wooyoung smiles to himself, thinking about seeing San outside from his window that day and when he asked for Yeosang to see the strange man up to Wooyoung's room. It was the first time he's ever acted upon one of his intrigues.

"Come on, Prince, let's get you to your lesson," Yeosang says, taking Wooyoung out of his thoughts with the gentle hand that was placed on his shoulder.

Wooyoung hums and follows Yeosang out of his room, down the long staircase, and into the large dining area that has the kitchen connected to it.

"Are you ready to begin your lesson, my Prince?" Wooyoung hears his instructor Mingi say to him and he nods with a cheerful look on his face, knowing he will try his very best.

~

The next week comes faster than Wooyoung would ever imagine, finding himself sitting across from the young man he had met just last week. San is dressed in a similar outfit to what he was wearing last week, Wooyoung observed. The same white shirt hanging loosely on his body, one side wanting to fall off his shoulder and expose the skin, but it doesn't. He's in slightly darker brown trousers than last time, too... Wooyoung can't help but study every piece of San it seems.

"It's nice to see you like this, my Prince," San says, smiling as he lets his eyes scan over the casual outfit Wooyoung is dressed in. He's seen the prince only at special events, never really having seen him around town or anything before, so he's always been dressed in formal attire. It's a welcoming change.

Wooyoung smiles and lies back on the couch, holding onto one of the pillows that adorned it, "I thought I told you to call me by my name, San..."

San smirks, letting his head rest on his hand that's propping him up, "My bad, Wooyoung, my oh high and mighty one. My beloved prince whom I would lay down my life for, how could I ever forget to call you informally," he teases.

Wooyoung scoffs and throws the pillow across the room at San's face, "Oh shut up you."

San gasps when the pillow hits him, a short laugh leaving his mouth, "I can't believe our beloved prince just threw a _pillow_ at his subject's face! Very unprincely of you, I must say."

Wooyoung's smile can't seem to go down, it stays so long it almost makes his cheeks hurt, "Just tell me about your week, San."

San puts the pillow Wooyoung threw behind his head and lets himself lay back as well, "My week? Oh my, where do I start? Would you like to hear about the two ladies that requested me for the same booking and when we informed them of the double booking, they said that was exactly right and what they had wanted... Or would you like to hear about the lord that came in from the next city over just for me because he knows I won't turn down a single request?"

San's sudden talk of just a few things that occurred at the Hide this week shocked Wooyoung, even though he should know that this type of thing is normal for San. He's not sure if he will ever get used to hearing about these types of stories, but he can't help but be intrigued by them.

Having always stayed in the castle all of his life, Wooyoung has never truly known what goes on outside the safety of the castle aside from what Yeosang has taught him over the years.

San is his first link to the outside world.

Wooyoung sometimes finds it funny how little he actually knows of his kingdom since he's supposed to be their prince and all, but it hardly seems it if anyone were to ever ask him about the political matters taking place in their small kingdom of Aurelia. However small Aurelia is, though, will never stop the inflow of people coming from all over the lands to visit their castle and have a discussion with Wooyoung's father.

Everyone seems to want to have a word with King Hongjoong, whether to befriend him or otherwise.

Wooyoung is unsure what to say to San, but he settles on this, "Do you enjoy your work, San?" He knows it's a stupid question, but it's a question he's had on his mind all week.

San takes a deep breath, knowing he must calm his tongue around Wooyoung. He's surprised at the question he asks, though. Does he enjoy what he does?

"No is the simple answer."

"Then what is the complicated answer?"

San takes a glance over at Wooyoung before beginning his reply, a soft smile coming across his lips, "Some days it's not so bad, like when I only have a few regulars. They've come to know me well and it's kind of similar to being friends, but we both know that we would never talk to each other or even glance ways if we were to see one another in town. I know what they come to me for and they come for what they want and leave. It's not the most complicated job for the most part when they're willing to drink the moon tea, that is. Some customers, however, would rather me actually give them children in hopes it'll bring them some kind of joy in their otherwise dull life. Their words, not mine, of course... I don't know, Wooyoung... Do you ever get lonely and think just anything or anyone will be able to fill that void?" He stops and looks at him, knowing the answer already is likely no, but he's taken aback when the prince's voice replies to him.

"Sometimes..." Wooyoung says quietly, "Sometimes I feel so lonely locked away here, San... I suppose that might be able to be solved by finally choosing a man or woman to be in my life like my father and mother want me to, but I just know it won't be so easy. I want to be happy, too. Having someone there physically doesn't automatically make your loneliness go away... Sometimes I feel like it makes me feel even lonelier if that makes any sense. I think I'm rambling, I apologize..." Wooyoung slowly stops talking, his intrusive thoughts taking over his mind from the heavy topic at hand.

"You shouldn't apologize for laying out your inner thoughts, Wooyoung. I know what you mean... You would think laying with so many people and having people around me all the time would make me not feel as lonely as I actually feel. Even though I have all those people around, I know they don't really care about me... At least, not in the way I wish for someone to," San sighs, taking his gaze away from Wooyoung so he can rest it back on the pillow like he was, "I remember you talking about wanting to find someone you truly love. A love for someone that you won't have to fake in front of all of the kingdom... I wish to find someone to love as well," his voice falls to a whisper, "As hard as that may be..."

Wooyoung stares up at the ceiling as he listens to San speak, it taking all of his power not to turn his head to watch him as he does. He hears how San speaks of love and it makes his heart ache, knowing they're both in a similar, yet oh so different boat.

"I care about you, San."

San feels a fulfilling warmth go all throughout his body, a smile coming across his face, "Thank you, Wooyoung... I think you were right, talking with someone is really therapeutic. I would go as far as to say that you might be the first person other than Seonghwa that has gotten me to talk about my deep thoughts like this. So, again, thank you."

Wooyoung smiles as he hears San, letting himself get up from his spot on the couch and he goes over and sits next to San, "It's nice to have someone to talk to that I can call my friend..." Wooyoung hums quietly, his hands trembling a little bit as he goes to wrap his arms around San, hesitating slightly before he takes him into his own embrace.

San doesn't say anything further when he feels unfamiliar arms touching him and wrapping around his torso, but he's never felt more comfortable in this newfound touch. He wants to hold him back, but his senses tell him to stop. The prince may be a sort of friend of his now, but he's still unsure about laying his hands on royalty. Especially his... San knows how tainted his touch is and it causes him to wince, gently squeezing his fists to hold himself back from falling into this comforting embrace he's found himself in.

Wooyoung doesn't mind when San doesn't hug him back, he only hopes he hasn't made the man uncomfortable with his actions. When he pulls away and sits back on his knees, darkness starts creeping into the bedroom from the window.

The sign that San needs to be heading back to the Hide.

Wooyoung lets out a sigh when he looks towards the window, keeping his hands safely in his lap. His heart hasn't calmed down ever since wrapping his arms around San like he had done. He's hugged Yeosang before, but it's been a while. It's been a while since Wooyoung has received any sort of physical contact at all, actually. He's missed it...

"I suppose it's time for me to go," San says as he stands up, his eyes full of worry about how that hug had made him feel. He doesn't know what to think. He just knows it's a good thing he has to leave.

Wooyoung nods, staying seated on the couch, "I'll see you next week, San."

San smiles and nods once, "I'll see you soon, my Prince."

Wooyoung watches longingly as he leaves the room through the secret door, letting out a breath and falling back on the couch when the small door closes. His mind is flooded from thoughts he doesn't know what to do with. All of those thoughts, of course, being about San. He stares back up at the ceiling, remembering the talk they had about loneliness.

Wooyoung soon realizes he doesn't feel as lonely whenever San is around.

But what does that mean...?

Wooyoung stays up well past the dead of night pondering that very question.

**End of Chapter Two**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to update tomorrow, but I'll be going to spend time with my father and wasn't sure if I would be able to update~!   
> So, here you go :D   
> Bi-weekly updates will continue as scheduled after this <3


	3. Chapter Three

The next few weeks passed faster than Wooyoung imagined them, getting to know San more and more every meeting the two had in his bedroom. Wooyoung learned more about San's past and how he came to work at the Hide at the age of thirteen, going into more detail about the entire situation that set up his future for the next ten years.

His parents were unfortunate in the likes of money and they became more and more worse-off until they finally had to succumb to their final option...

That being selling San to the local courtesan house, where he works to pay off his family's debts - and he has been since the day he turned of age.

San mostly stayed at his grandparents' home before being sold, but his parents forced him to come back when that day they sold him finally came. He told Wooyoung how he always worried about his older sister, knowing she had also been sold off a few years before he was, but not to the same place. She was sold into another province.

The more Wooyoung learned about San, the deeper the friendship between the two became, and San began coming twice a week instead of only once - when he was able to, of course. San was a very busy man since he was the most requested courtesan.

Wooyoung sits on his bed, waiting for San to come through the hidden door at any minute. He smiles at the thought of seeing him soon. Seeing him always made Wooyoung's heart pound just a bit louder and quicker, but he put it off due to thinking it was because he's doing something extremely punishable, not because that boy might be having an emotional impact on him.

San comes into the room after a couple of minutes of waiting, a smile appearing on his face when he sees Wooyoung and the two immediately begin talking about one another's weeks.

"I finally got the hang of cooking, and now I can cook meat with ease!" Wooyoung says to him, proudly, knowing up until now San's only heard of Wooyoung's struggles with it.

His eyes light up at the word meat, "Really? You'll have to cook some for me sometimes," he jokes, "but really, that's relieving to hear, Wooyoung. I'm so glad you've gotten comfortable with cooking, I'm sure your instructor is also happy to see your progress."

Wooyoung nods, "He is, he is... but I don't want it to have to end," he says, his voice growing warier as he speaks, "since I'm close to finishing the course, that means my mother and father are going to put me finding someone to marry to the top of my priority list and..."

Wooyoung sighs, crossing his legs as he rests his head in one of his hands, "I'm just so scared, San. What if I don't like him? What if he doesn't like me? I know they're going to allow me to choose from a pool of people they've hand-picked, but there are always those bad eggs that weasel through. What if I pick the wrong one?" His voice rises towards the end of his rant, shaking once he asks the final question.

Wooyoung looked up and over to San with glassy eyes, realizing he had been staring at the floor as he spoke and thought about the future, "I just really don't want to choose the wrong person, San..." He says, and San gets up and goes to sit next to him.

"You'll choose a wonderful partner, I'm sure, Wooyoung" San gives a hopeful smile, gently lifting Wooyoung's head up to be face to face with his own, "You have incredible insight and quite the eye for people, so I know without a doubt that you will pick the right one."

Wooyoung feels a tingly feeling throughout his body when San gives him hope with his words, feeling immediately untroubled as San holds onto his face with his warm hand. Wooyoung shyly looks away from San's gaze after a few moments, "You always know just what to say to make me feel better, don't you San?" He asks quietly.

San chuckles back at Wooyoung and shakes his head, "I'm just trying to tell you the truth, my Prince."

Wooyoung has noticed that San always falls back into calling him formally after making any sort of physical contact with him. San gets up and walks around the room like he does when he's thinking about something. From all the times he's been here now, Wooyoung's begun to pick up on some of his habits.

"What are you thinking about?" Wooyoung asks him, always curious about what's going on inside his head.

Wooyoung has always been curious about others' minds, but he finds himself wondering about what San is thinking about quite often now. So many times does he wish he could read the minds of others.

"You know that party that the Hide is having in a few days to celebrate a new courtesan coming-of-age?"

Wooyoung nods, knowing San's been talking about it for a few weeks now, explaining how they've been preparing the new courtesan for when the day comes.

San goes on, "I was wondering if you would like to come with me to the party. You always ask about my work, so I thought you might like to come see how it really is, or at least, a slightly more tame version. I could introduce you to Seonghwa, too. You've said you wanted to meet him one day."

San seems to talk as if he thinks Wooyoung will decline his offer, but he responds quickly, "Of course, I would love to go to the party with you, San."

San tries to hide his enthusiasm, but he's truly ecstatic as soon as Wooyoung agrees to accompany him to the party.

It turns out that Wooyoung's usual attire is not entirely appropriate for the type of party the Hide has in mind. This makes Wooyoung even more nervous about the party, not being a man that likes for people to see his skin, being a prince, but he still agrees to go.

San told Wooyoung that Seonghwa has a more appropriate suit he'll be able to borrow for that night and that he'll make sure Yeosang gets it to him.

Wooyoung decides to tell his father that he'll be staying with a friend from another province that evening, making sure his mother didn't hear of his plans.

Wooyoung gets the suit that Seonghwa had chosen for him the morning before the party. He opens it up to see a deep purple shirt that doesn't button up the front and a pair of black trousers.

Wooyoung feels his anxiety begin to kick in at the sight of the shirt, becoming more and more unsure of this whole thing. He begins to imagine what mother would think of this outfit, knowing she would be calling him wretched names, but he tries to put those thoughts aside.

What would San think of him once he sees him in this? Wooyoung tries to think positively about the whole thing, but he's still nervous.

Wooyoung strips down and slips himself into the shirt and trousers with the help of Yeosang. Yeosang blushes once Wooyoung's all fixed in it and he begins to freak out a bit, turning to his maid, eyes filled with worry.

Yeosang reassures Wooyoung that if he keeps his jacket closed then no one will be able to see his bare chest.

Wooyoung tries to calm himself down, deciding to put on some beautiful cufflinks his father had gotten him as a gift to wear to the Spring Festival one year. This happy thought of the Spring Festival makes Wooyoung feel more at ease.

Yeosang insists on putting rouge on Wooyoung to brighten up his face a bit from it being so pale from fear. He fixes Wooyoung's hair, making it have a nice wave to it. Once it's fixed, he goes to look into the mirror and hardly recognizes himself in this getup, thinking to himself, "I would never in my life wear something like this... I just hope that it doesn't draw too much attention to me at the party."

Wooyoung sneaks through the secret door and heads to the Hide, waiting where San said to wait for him. Wooyoung senses the tips of his ears reddening as he looks at how all of the people heading into the party are dressed.

San comes out eventually and he has no shirt on and even tighter slacks that show off his muscular legs. Of course, the courtesans are required to wear near nothing at events like this. Anyone at the party could scoop them up at any time and request their services... But seeing San dressed in such a way makes Wooyoung's stomach turn over. Wooyoung catches himself staring a bit too long at San's fit-looking chest.

San smiles cheerfully when he sees Wooyoung and he tries to smile back, but he's still nervous about the outfit - which he makes sure his chest isn't able to be seen by San.

San gazes down to Wooyoung's hand, badly wanting to hold it, but then moves his attention back to Wooyoung's eyes, "You look breathtaking, Wooyoung..." his eyes are like stars when San looks into them.

Hearing those words Wooyoung's face gets warmer for some reason, but he smiles, slowly feeling more confident in his attire, "As do you, San." Wooyoung gushes, shying away from looking at San's exposed chest.

San's smile turns into a smirk as he leads Wooyoung inside to Seonghwa and San says that he believes Wooyoung looks even better than him in the suit. Wooyoung quickly dismisses his comment and tells Seonghwa 'thank you' for letting him borrow Seonghwa's lovely suit.

Wooyoung looks around the party crowd and his eyes grow wide, realizing that no one will be bothered to look at him in this very conservative suit when compared to what the other people are wearing. Some of them do not even have clothes on at all, which causes Wooyoung to quickly look away and back to San and Seonghwa.

Wooyoung's not used to seeing people showing themselves so openly in this way. It's just the way he's been raised.

Seonghwa agrees that Wooyoung looks lovely and lets San and him go on their way to enjoy the party.

Wooyoung looks up at San and he's still smiling, so he asks, "You've been smiling since we got here, are you really that excited for the party?"

San hesitates before finally responding, "I don't know why I'm smiling so much," he looks down to Wooyoung as he speaks, his bright smile never leaving. It makes Wooyoung laugh, thinking that he's cute and silly.

San leads Wooyoung around, even showing him his room that he has here at the Hide. His room is quite average-sized with only three items inside. A bed, a bookshelf, and a pool table.

Wooyoung goes over to the bookshelf, admiring his selection, turning to him in surprise to ask him in a surprised tone, "Can you read all of these books, San?"

San nods at him and comes over by his side, picking out one of the books from the shelf. It happens to be the one Wooyoung had been eyeing, as he'd read that one in-particular many many times over the years.

"This one is one of my all-time favorites," San says with a sad smile on his face, "I loved reading it because I felt like I could live my life through the characters in the book, you know? I always wished that I could have a life similar to them..."

A pang goes through Wooyoung's heart as San talks about his favorite book, knowing how beautiful the story of it is. It's a classic love story that his father introduced to him that showed the relationship between two men and how they fell in love with each other over the course of the story.

"You'll be able to have that life someday, San. I know that once you're out of this place that you'll be able to find that love you're longing for," Wooyoung says, trying to maintain the hopefulness. He hates the way San seems to make it feel like he will never be able to find a love like the one in the story.

This seems to upset San a bit, as he puts the book back on his shelf and sits on the bed with his face in his hands, "You could never understand, Wooyoung... I won't be getting out of here for many years, and who would ever want someone as used up as I am? You're going to get betrothed so easily. You tell me about your father and mother looking for a suitor for you and how you will even have a choice out of them. I will never get to have that luxury."

Him saying this makes Wooyoung go silent, unmoving as he thinks about what San said. Wooyoung doesn't know what to say, so he doesn't say anything at all. He just sits there looking down at the floor of San's room. Wooyoung realizes that he will never be able to understand how San truly feels or what San has been through throughout his life.

After a while, San stands up, shaking his head as if to shake his thoughts away and puts a smile on his face. He goes over to Wooyoung, kneeling down in front of him, "We should get some food, some of the boys and girls here made it special for the occasion. I think it'll be to your liking."

San clearly was thinking for a long while in that silent moment the two had together. Sometimes silence between two people is all that's needed, but they both know they will have to talk it out more in the future.

San leads Wooyoung out of his room and the two go down a few steps to a room with a large table where food is displayed nicely together. Wooyoung and San gather some food on their plates and start to make their way up the stairs when San is tapped on the shoulder by a strong and burly looking man.

San turns to look at Wooyoung with a grim expression, knowing what this means. He must go do his job.

Wooyoung is a bit taken aback when San's arm is grabbed by the man, "I-I'll keep your plate for when you're back, San..." Wooyoung says, but San is already being taken away.

Wooyoung wanders around, not exactly knowing his way around this place without San.

He prays that he won't be gone too long...

**End of Chapter Three**


	4. Chapter Four

San...

He _did_ tell Wooyoung that any of the courtesans could be taken at any time during one of these parties, but it didn't register fully in his mind until that man was taking San away from him. Wooyoung could feel some sort of anger rise up within himself when he saw it happen. He can't stand that no one around them even batted an eye at the act.

It's so normal for them...

Wooyoung tries to clear his mind from that and the thoughts of what that man was wanting from San. He shook his head and went down a back hallway, coming to a large room that was cracked open. It has a small table in it, along with a bed and bookshelf and many other things. It looked similar to San's, but had much more items and looked more taken care of. More lived in.

Wooyoung sits down at the small table and begins to eat his food, making sure to keep San's covered with a napkin to try and keep it warm the best he can. Wooyoung smiles as he eats. San was right, the food they had prepared for this party _was_ really good.

Suddenly, Seonghwa comes into the room and is surprised to see someone already in it, sitting at his table eating.

"Oh, I didn't know that you were back here, Prince. This is my room. I thought I had seen my door more open than I had left it, so I came to make sure none of the guests wandered in. I'm glad to see it's just you."

Wooyoung is startled by the unexpected voice, feeling embarrassed for being in a room he technically shouldn't be, but Seonghwa sits down at the table with him and looks at the second plate of food, "This for him?" He asks.

Wooyoung nods once, giving him a look so he knows San is currently busy elsewhere. Seonghwa understands the look instantly and Wooyoung sees something pass over Seonghwa's eyes, but he can't tell the exact emotion he saw there.

Wooyoung tries to keep his mind from drifting to wondering what is happening to San, but it keeps bubbling back up. It makes his chest feel some type of way when he thinks about it, wishing it would just go away.

Seonghwa smiles at Wooyoung, an odd smile that seems parental in a way, "You truly _do_ look breathtaking in that suit. I believe he was correct when stating you wear it better than I."

Those words cause Wooyoung to blush and shake his head at the compliment, insisting that he does not in any way suit this outfit like Seonghwa or San would. Wooyoung _is_ thankful, though, that Seonghwa interrupted his thoughts and distracted him.

Seonghwa gets up and goes behind Wooyoung, moving his jacket to the side and it makes him shudder from the unexpected breeze on his now exposed bare chest.

Seonghwa laughs, "You're hiding the most beautiful part of this suit, my Prince."

Wooyoung quickly shakes his head dismissively, "I don't wear this type of suit, I prefer a more covered set... Plus, I feel more comfortable with my jacket closed anyway," he begins to make up a lot of excuses, hoping not to offend Seonghwa in any way.

Seonghwa nods and goes back to sit down with Wooyoung, "You know, I looked quite similar to you when I was your age. Believe me when I say you look stunning and shouldn't fear hiding yourself away from everyone."

This makes Wooyoung smile, "I suppose I will be very handsome when I am older, then. Thank you, Seonghwa."

The way Seonghwa speaks to Wooyoung is sweet. It's very refreshing for him, as his mother would never treat him with such kindness as Seonghwa has been. He almost reminds him of how Yeosang treats him, and that makes him feel warm and fuzzy inside, happy that he has people caring for him, even if they just met.

~

Soon after, San finishes his job and eventually finds Wooyoung and Seonghwa in Seonghwa's bedroom. Wooyoung's eyes light up and he smiles when he sees San walk in, elated to finally see him again, "You're back!" he exclaims, nodding to the food that he saved for him under the napkin.

San sits down at the table with them, his skin glistening from the slight sweat from his activities, but he puts on a face like nothing just happened, "Thank you for saving my food, Wooyoung," he says as he takes the napkin off and begins eating, making happy eating noises. He must be starving after everything that's happened today and Wooyoung wonders if he even had any breakfast this morning.

Wooyoung begins to wonder more about what happens behind those closed doors.

Later, they begin the auction and Wooyoung looks around to see a few wealthy men that he knows around the kingdom. This unsettles him a bit, figuring out that he really doesn't know everyone as well as he thought he did. He keeps himself placed slightly behind San, beginning to wonder if father and mother know what goes on at places such as this, but he shakes his head.

Of course, they must...

The girl on the stage is young, she cannot be more than fourteen years based on her looks, but Wooyoung knows she's of age from what San had told him about the Hide. She looks scared and her eyes shaking as she looks around the crowd, many men already bidding high prices on her. The higher the bid, the more of her clothes they take off - not that she had much on in the first place.

Wooyoung hides his face in San's arm when she loses her first piece of clothing, knowing that this bidding will go quickly by how fast the price skyrockets.

San starts to wrap an arm around Wooyoung after he looks down at the boy hiding in his arm, but he stops short, knowing he shouldn't go through with making that physical contact.

It was getting late and Wooyoung didn't even realize. He only knew from the room getting darker and darker, darkness overtaking the once bright windows.

Finally, the bidding is slowing down and the highest bidder claims his prize.

Wooyoung looks up at San and tries to speak, his voice coming out quietly, "It's too dark out for me to be traveling home alone dressed like this, San. I told my father that I would be staying at a friend's tonight. Father always warned me about wandering outside during nighttime hours..."

San can see Wooyoung's fear in his eyes and replies, "It's okay, my Prince. You can stay here tonight if that's okay with you."

Wooyoung nods, rubbing his eyes drowsily, as he's usually fast asleep by this hour.

San smiles softly, "Come on, let's get you into a nice, warm bed, how does that sound?" He asks and Wooyoung replies back with another small nod, slightly leaning into San's arm in an attempt to keep himself upright.

San leads Wooyoung back to his room and he locks the door behind him so that no one will interrupt their sleep.

It's dark in San's room now, but the moonlight from the window shines brightly down onto his bed. Wooyoung walks over and gets into the bed on the left side, instantly getting comfortable as he nuzzles into the smooth touch of the covers.

San lays on top of the covers, as to not make him uncomfortable, on the right side of the bed.

Wooyoung rolls over and looks up at San, the light shining on their faces from the moonlight, "I had a very... interesting time at this party tonight. I've never experienced anything like it before. I'm thankful that you invited me tonight, San... I feel like I learn more and more about you every time we're together... And I'm sorry about earlier, I really didn't mean to upset you. I just think we all should get to choose who we love..." Wooyoung says to him in a sleepy voice, looking at San's beautifully lit up face as he lays down into the pillows, making Wooyoung's face become darker when he lays down fully.

Wooyoung slowly drifts in and out of sleep as San starts replying, so he doesn't hear what his reply actually was. Wooyoung's mind focuses on the handsome man laying in front of him, the image becoming blurry as his eyes flutter.

San stops talking as he sees Wooyoung's eyes closing and it makes him smile, feeling his heart thumping loudly in his chest. San catches himself gazing down at Wooyoung and shakes his head like he's shaking the thoughts of him out of his head.

San, instead, stares up at the ceiling, but Wooyoung's still not completely asleep yet. He's just barely listening to San's slow, yet heavy breathing for a while. The sound makes Wooyoung feel calm listening to the slow inhale and exhales release from his chest, knowing he's there right next to him.

He's not alone.

Wooyoung's emotions always seem to heighten during nighttime hours, so hearing San's breathing right beside him makes his eyes water, feeling thankful that he's alive and thankful that he has him in his life. Wooyoung knows that he never wants to let go of this feeling he has when he's with San. Lying together in his bed seems so normal, so natural of a thing... He almost wishes it could be like this every night.

Maybe then he wouldn't feel so lonely...

Wooyoung finds himself nuzzling his head up against San's shoulder and he can almost hear his heart beating from his chest. What an extraordinary sound it is... He starts to not be able to tell the difference between his own heartbeat and San's, almost like their lives are becoming synced with one another. Like they've become one.

San looks down at Wooyoung as he does this, thinking that he's just moving unconsciously in his sleep, but he finally lets himself admire the boy for a while, gently lifting his hand and caressing his soft cheek, "I can't bear to let you go, Wooyoung..." he whispers, barely audible, "You've become someone so precious to me."

As Wooyoung's falling asleep, he hears it but when he wakes up, it feels like it was just a part of his dreams. A dream Wooyoung started wishing wasn't actually a dream. San couldn't bear to let him go...? Wooyoung wonders about what San could've meant by these words as he racks his brain trying to decipher if it even really happened.

He couldn't have said those words, right...?

Throughout the night, their arms became entangled in one another's, waking up in each other's hold the next morning. It was a feeling neither of them would admit how much they liked and wished could be like that every night. They stayed in each other's arms like that for a while after they both woke, silently staying in one another's warm embrace. The feeling of holding each other was almost inconceivable, a feeling neither one of them were able to fully grasp or understand. Something they couldn't describe fully with words.

But they didn't need words, they just needed each other.

After that night together, Wooyoung started to become more aware of his true feelings for San - realizing how immensely heart wrenching it will be to have to let him go from his life when the time comes. He wasn't sure if he would be able to do it.

This must've been what the words meant... Wooyoung is going to have to stop seeing San once he's married off, and San knows that.

He knows that eventually, he will have to let Wooyoung go.

It makes Wooyoung's chest hurt if he even imagines never being able to see San again. He's become his confidant, his friend, best friend, even... He's become the man Wooyoung is most interested in. He's not sure if he will ever find any of the suitors his father and mother picked out for him as interesting as San is to him.

San is someone special to Wooyoung, and he became special to him so quickly that it was like it flashed before Wooyoung's own eyes. One day he was a stranger that Wooyoung had seen outside his window, and the next he was Wooyoung's closest friend whom he confided in many of his deep and personal thoughts.

He can't let him go so easily.

Wooyoung decides to have the best time he possibly can have with San while he still can, not knowing where that will lead, but he can't be worried about the unknown any longer.

He needs to see where this could go while he still can...

**End of Chapter Four**


	5. Chapter Five

"You've been doing much better than when we first started, Prince Wooyoung. I'm happy to tell you that this is actually edible," Mingi announces, chuckling after he swallows the bite of the oxtail soup he had Wooyoung make.

Wooyoung hums with a pouting expression on his face, "I didn't _mean_ to give you food poisoning last time... You shouldn't have had me cooking meat when I had no experience!"

"Not only was the meat undercooked that time, but you also burnt the onions. This time, you caramelized them perfectly! I'm very proud of you, I must say... However, your meat still could use some work, it _is, in fact,_ edible like I said," Mingi explains as he finishes up the rest of the soup in his bowl.

Mingi looks to the bowl in front of Wooyoung, seeing he hasn't even touched his own meal he had made, "Nervous to eat what you made yourself?"

Wooyoung smirks and shakes his head, "Of course not, I was just seeing if you were going to get sick before I took a bite myself," he says slyly.

Mingi snickers and takes his bowl to the sink where he washes it and dries it, "How devious of you, Prince, but I suppose your father wouldn't take too kindly if I let you give yourself food poisoning again... He'd have my head, and that's even being generous."

Wooyoung shakes his head as he digs into the soup, "I wouldn't let him get rid of my favorite instructor that easily, don't you worry."

Mingi clutches his heart, acting like he's just been hurt, "Ah, I've been shot by the Prince's kindness once again. Oh, how can I show my face to the others around the castle knowing that _I_ am the Prince's favorite? I'll be able to just feel their jealousy steaming off of them when I pass by."

Wooyoung puts his hand on his forehead, "Oh my, what hardships you must face because of my generosity. Apologies, a thousand apologies, my great cooking instructor!"

They both catch each other's eyes and burst out laughing, Wooyoung almost spitting out the mouthful of soup he had just eaten.

"What is going on here?" A stern voice interrupts the two men's laughter and they both fall silent when they turn to see the Queen standing in the doorway staring Wooyoung down, "You're supposed to be _learning_. Not messing around."

Wooyoung flinches when she gets closer, noticing how she inspects the bowl of soup he had made and been eating, "What is this mush? It looks horrible," she lifts the bowl up and swirls it around, "Did you even try?" She pauses, holding the bowl in front of Wooyoung's face as she stares bullets into his eyes.

Wooyoung's voice seems to be caught in his throat, choking out a reply, "Yes, mother... It's the best I've done so far, Mingi praised me well for this dish. Would you like to try it?" He attempts to show her kindness like he always does, but deep down he can't help but feel a wave of intense anger and pain.

She turns up her nose at the offer, turning her head away from her son, "I'm not going to chance getting killed by that wretched-looking dish you call soup," she says as she walks around the kitchen, ending up in front of Mingi.

Mingi has had to just stand by and watch the whole time, knowing he's unable to do anything.

"You need to do your job. Stop playing around or you'll no longer have this position, you hear me? Teach him right. Don't praise him for these measly attempts that inevitably turn out wrong. He's to be taught to cook to perfection. What kind of person is going to agree to marry him if he cannot even make a simple soup correctly?" She says, her voice rising in volume towards the end.

"Yes, my Queen. I'll try my best to make sure the Prince will learn to cook all of the common meals perfectly," Mingi replies in a strong voice.

"I don't want you to _try_ , Song Mingi. I want you to _do,_ or I'll find someone else that will."

And with that, the Queen left the kitchen, leaving the two men in silence with Wooyoung's head down, staring at the oxtail soup. Had he really done such a poor job? Mingi is the best cook in the entire kingdom, so he knows he would tell him if he really did such a terrible job.

Wooyoung just sighs and rests his elbows on the table, letting his head fall into his hands. He hears footsteps coming over to him, but he doesn't lift his head up.

"You did a great job, Wooyoung," Mingi reassures, gently placing a hand on his back, "We will make you into the best cook anyone has ever seen, you hear me? I can see it in you, you're only going to keep getting better. I promise you."

Wooyoung makes a small noise in response, not really much like talking anymore.

Mingi stays there for another moment, but then lets out a sigh and walks away to wash the rest of the dishes. When he turns back around after he's done, he sees that Wooyoung has left and that he also left his bowl of soup right where the Queen left it when she put it down.

~

Wooyoung went back up to his room and shut the door, going and laying back on his bed for a while before a quiet knock sounds on the door.

"Come in," Wooyoung says, his voice slightly muffled from his face being against the pillow.

He hears the door open and lifts his head up, peeking over his pillow to see who it is, hoping it's just Yeosang. He smiles when he sees his hopes are right, but his eyes trail to the small envelope that is in Yeosang's hands, "What's that?"

"You received a letter from Yunho this morning, my Prince. I was waiting until after your lesson to come give it to you," Yeosang says, smiling and sitting at the end of Wooyoung's bed as he hands the envelope over.

Wooyoung's face brightens up instantly as he sees Yunho's handwriting of his name on the front of the envelope, so he opens it.

_Dear Wooyoung,_

_I've missed you dearly, my friend. I apologize that we haven't gotten to see each other hardly at all since I got married. I'm writing to inform you ahead of time that I'll be coming down to Aurelia to visit you for a few days. I've been counting down the days to when I would finally get to see my best friend again. I'm waiting to hear all of the juicy details that I've missed since I've been gone. You better be ready to tell me everything, Woo. I heard about the King and Queen gathering a collection of suitors for you to choose from. Have you chosen yet? Have you even met them yet? I'm absolutely dying to know. I'll see you sooner than you think._

_Sincerely,_

_Jeong Yunho_

Wooyoung cannot hide his excitement any longer the further he reads into Yunho's letter, his body shaking with anticipation of seeing his friend again.

"Do you know when he's coming, Yeosang? The exact date?" Wooyoung asks, this news definitely brightening up the otherwise depressing day he's had. His thoughts about his mother ruining his good mood have faded away, only to be replaced by eagerness of seeing Yunho again.

Yeosang's chest warms up as he sees Wooyoung's eyes go wild with intensity, "Be patient, my Prince. Sir Yunho will be here very soon according to what your father relayed to me. I've already prepared the room for his stay."

"Is it the same one he would always use?" Wooyoung asks, hoping that it is since it's right across the hall.

Yeosang nods, "Of course, we always kept that room vacant in case Yunho or any of his family members needed to stay with us in the castle."

Wooyoung gets up, throwing his covers and pillows aside as he rushes out of his bedroom and across the hall to where Yunho will be staying, pushing the door open to see a perfectly made bed awaiting his arrival.

This high that Yunho's news has given him doesn't seem like it will be going down any time soon, so Yeosang just allows him to let it all out, knowing how long it's been since the two have seen each other. Yeosang has noticed how low spirited Wooyoung's been since Yunho left, but recently, he's gotten that spirit back. Yeosang can only assume it's San that's brought Wooyoung back to life.

~

That night, Wooyoung's been unable to sleep, waiting for the moment that Yunho will come through his bedroom door. The anticipation is killing him.

Wooyoung's life has been quite busy recently, with his final lesson starting to wrap up and his parents continuing to gather all of the suitors they want Wooyoung to meet, and of course, Wooyoung can't forget San. He only comes to see him once a week, but he occupies so much of Wooyoung's mind that it feels like he's there much more.

Wooyoung began to drift off to sleep when he heard a quick and loud knock at his bedroom door, making him sit up instantly getting his hopes up.

"Come in."

The door opens and Wooyoung's eyes go wide at the sight of his best friend walking into his room, but when he sees Wooyoung, he runs quickly over to him and takes him into a big hug, "Woo!"

Wooyoung happily hugs Yunho back, squeezing him tightly, "Yunho, I've missed you so much," He hums, shoving his face into Yunho's neck to take in his familiar scent, "You look much healthier now, has Minho been feeding you well?" Wooyoung looks up at Yunho's face, seeing how rosy his cheeks are from being out in the cold.

Yunho smiles big and wide, his eyes going into little moon shapes as he nods, "We eat big meals every night for dinner, so yes, he makes sure I stay plenty healthy. There's no need for you to worry about that anymore," He releases Woooyung from his embrace and sits back on the bed.

"So, Woo, tell me everything I've missed. I heard you're on your last lesson, too! Gosh, I love cooking... Can I join you tomorrow?" Yunho asks with excitement in his voice. He always did say how Wooyoung needed to learn how to cook, so it's funny how now he actually is and how Yunho is back home for it.

"Of course you can join me, Yunho. I bet Mingi will be much more impressed by your skills than he is mine," Wooyoung chuckles, getting back up into his place in bed, pulling the covers up over him.

"Is he still as breathtaking as ever?" Yunho fake swoons.

Back when they were young kids and Yunho was always at the castle spending time with Wooyoung or there because of his parents, Yunho had a small crush on the head cook. Every time they would have dinner and sit at the table, Mingi would bring out the dishes himself and Yunho couldn't help his stares. Wooyoung eventually confronted him about it and it became a running joke ever since. Wooyoung would always pick on him about it whenever they saw Mingi around the castle, telling him he should go talk to him.

Yunho knew he couldn't actually pursue the cook he had a crush on, though. His parents would never allow for him to marry anyone lower class than a Lord or Lady. A cook, even of his high status as one, would never have been accepted, so Yunho admired him from afar.

"Oh, he got even better with age. You'll see tomorrow," Wooyoung winks.

Yunho falls back onto the bed, "I'm a married man now, you know, Woo. But... I suppose a little comment or two won't hurt."

Wooyoung smiles, "I can't wait to see this. It's going to be pure entertainment to watch you finally interact with him, Yun. You never once would talk to him, so what makes you think you'll be able to now?"

"I'm older now, much more mature. Can't you tell?" Yunho tries to sound serious, but he can't help but let out another laugh.

Wooyoung pats the spot on the bed beside him for Yunho to come up, "Oh yes, much more mature. Now come up here, I still can't believe you're really here right now..."

Yunho crawls up beside Wooyoung and gets under the covers, facing him like they would do when they were younger, "Yeosang might fuss if he comes into us like this tomorrow morning. Don't you remember his face when he would see us sleeping in the same bed? I think he thought you and I were lovers at one point," Yunho laughs, covering his mouth to not breathe all of his hot air into Wooyoung's face.

Wooyoung covers his face with both of his hands in an embarrassed way, "Oh goodness, he really did... I remember having to explain to him that we were just best friends. That was a painful talk."

Yunho stops laughing and pokes Wooyoung in the side, "Now, I know _we're_ not lovers, but do you have someone special in mind? I've heard about the whole suitor situation, so tell me more!" Yunho begs, excited to hear the juicier details of Wooyoung's life.

Wooyoung groans and moves his hands behind his head, "Yun, I haven't even met the men and women my parents have chosen yet..."

"That doesn't mean there isn't another special someone you have your eyes on, you know."

The tips of Wooyoung's ears turn a dark shade of burgundy as his mind fills with thoughts of San, something that isn't so uncommon now. It seems like every other second of every day Wooyoung is thinking about him, wondering what he is doing or how he's feeling. He nervously bites his lip to keep from saying anything and shifts his eyes away so he doesn't have to face Yunho. He doesn't think Yunho would shame him for having interest in someone of lower class, but having a small crush on a head cook is much different than having... interest... in a courtesan.

Yunho gets up on his knees excitedly and tickles Wooyoung to try and get him to look at him, "You do! Wooyoung! Who is it? Who is the lucky lord or lady? Perhaps another prince or princess? Oh my, you must invite me to the wedding."

Wooyoung pushes Yunho away when he begins to tickle him, hating being tickled because of how much it tries him out from the intense laughter, "Stop! Stop!" He chants between deep breaths. Yunho eventually stops, allowing Wooyoung to finally be able to catch a breath after all the wind had been taken out of him.

"You know how much I hate being tickled," Wooyoung pouts, still taking deep breaths as he had to sit up. His face has turned a light shade of pink from the exhaustion, thankfully masking the pink of his embarrassment over the topic they were discussing.

"That's exactly why I did it! I have to know who my best friend loves most in this kingdom - aside from yours truly, of course."

Wooyoung pushes at Yunho's chest once again and continues to pout as he lays back in bed, facing away from Yunho this time, "Just go to bed, Yun..."

Yunho smirks and gets back into bed, "Fine, fine, but I'll find out! You know you can't keep secrets from me for long," he playfully pokes Wooyoung's back before turning over and closing his eyes.

Wooyoung feels a sense of anxiety come over him like a wave, but he knows he will never even see San. Yunho doesn't go to places like the Hide, nor would he know who to look for even if he did. Wooyoung slowly calms himself down as he reassures himself that Yunho will never find out. Wooyoung isn't even sure of his own feelings towards San, yet.

As excited as he was for San to come tomorrow, he's now turned into a nervous wreck, having a bad feeling stirring within him as he slowly drifts off to sleep.

**End of Chapter Five**


	6. Chapter Six

Wooyoung is awoken by being shook gently, opening his sleepy eyes to look up at Yunho, "Yun... Just give me a few more minutes, okay?"

Wooyoung is about to lay back down and snuggle back into the covers when he hears someone clear their voice, announcing their presence. Wooyoung reopens his eyes and nervously turns over, seeing Yeosang standing there with his breakfast tray.

"Prince, I know it's been a while since you've seen Yunho, but don't you remember our rules? Your parents don't want you two sleeping in the same bed, you know this could get me in trouble..." Yeosang says, trying to be stern, but also feeling a bit bad about it.

Wooyoung's eyebrows knit together, his lip puckering out into a pout, "It was just for the first night, okay, Sang? Isn't that right, Yunho?" He looks over to his friend for help and Yunho just nods, his puppy dog face going full force.

Yeosang sighs and sets down the breakfast tray, "Will you be needing my help getting ready this morning, my Prince? I heard Yunho will be joining in on the rest of your lessons for the week."

"I'll be alright. I'm going to wear comfortable clothes like I had done yesterday. I promise we will go down as soon as we're finished breakfast," Wooyoung hums, feeling bad for sending Yeosang away, but he wants his time with Yunho.

"Very well," Yeosang says and bows before leaving Wooyoung's bedroom.

"You know, Yeosang isn't so bad looking either," Yunho giggles and falls back onto the bed, the covers flying up on him.

Wooyoung gives Yunho a disgusted look, never having wanted to think of his head maid in such a way, "Don't ever say that again," He says dismissively as he picks up his bagel and eats it.

"Fine, fine... I'll keep my comments for Mingi," Yunho picks up the other half of the bagel and starts eating.

"Maybe you should keep them for Minho," Wooyoung suggests, widening his eyes to further his point.

"I'm going to shove that bagel into your mouth."

Wooyoung gets up out of the bed quickly and runs to the other side of the room, bagel in hand, "You wouldn't dare."

Yunho smirks after he finishes his, "Not right now. We have to get ready to cook, do we not? I think I'll be fine in this attire, but let's get something for you," He says, going over to Wooyoung's wardrobe and picks out a soft blue shirt and loose beige pants, "How does this look?"

Wooyoung nods and comes over once he swallows his last bite, taking the clothing from Yunho's hands and he begins to strip out of his nightgown, "Turn around," He murmurs, waiting for him to turn.

Yunho nods and turns around to let Wooyoung change without eyes on him, and when he hears the shuffling around stop he turns back to see him in the clothing he chose for him, "You look soft in that outfit," He smiles brightly.

"Soft...?" Wooyoung questions, unsure if he's ever heard someone describe someone as looking soft.

He nods once, "Minho always says that to me. He says it's a good thing, a term of endearment, I think."

Wooyoung smiles back, "I like that... Soft," He giggles and takes Yunho's hand to lead him down to the dining room and into the kitchen where Mingi is waiting for them.

Wooyoung turns to Yunho to introduce him properly since he never really was able to when they were younger due to Yunho's shyness, but when he looks at him, Yunho has the same in-awe look he had when looking at Mingi when he was younger. Wooyoung pats Yunho's back swiftly, trying to get him out of it, "This is Yunho, Mingi. I'm sure you've seen him around with me before, but it _has_ been quite a while..."

Mingi smiles and bows at the two men in the doorway, "Of course I remember him. He would always scurry away like a little forest animal whenever I was around, how could I forget?" His smile turns into a smirk and he chuckles.

Yunho frowns, "I did _not_ 'scurry away'! I clearly had important things to do at the time and that's why I would walk away."

"I'm sure, I'm sure..." Mingi rubs the back of his neck and goes back over to the table, "So with two of you here today, it could either go even better than with just Wooyoung or doubly as worse. Let's see which one it'll turn out to be, shall we?"

The dish Mingi had the two boys make today was a dessert called bread pudding, which happened to be Mingi's favorite. They each made their own and decided they would exchange with each other at the end without knowing who got whose. Mingi always liked to make learning fun and this was definitely one way to do that.

The three men sit around the table with the plates of bread pudding lined up, and they each take one that is not their own.

Wooyoung looks a bit nervously towards Yunho's plate, knowing he got his, but he knows there's nothing in it this time that could cause him food poisoning. He looks down at the plate he got and is amazed by the presentation, knowing it could easily be Mingi's, but when he glances over at the plate in front of Mingi, the two are strikingly similar in appearance.

Wooyoung realizes that the two of them had made it perfectly, at least, looks-wise. Now comes the tasting part.

"These look absolutely incredible! I'm so proud of you two, you've done a wonderful job. This is my favorite dessert, so I'm delighted to taste the one of whomever I picked," Mingi praises the two as he picks up his fork, ready to dig in.

Yunho's cheeks are noticeably redder as he sits there between Wooyoung and Mingi, having to tear his eyes away from the dish sitting in front of his former crush. Of course Mingi got his bread pudding, just of course he did. Yunho knows he made it to the best of his ability, so he's hoping that it tastes as good as it looks.

Wooyoung had already dug into his before Mingi or Yunho even took a bite of theirs, many 'mmm' sounds coming from his end of the table.

"This is the best dessert I've ever had, whoever made this is the one that should be the head cook," Wooyoung announces, a pleased look on his face as he continues eating.

"I suppose it's a good thing I already am, then," Mingi chuckles before taking a bite out of the bread pudding in front of him, Yunho also eating a piece of his.

"Wow, this is almost perfect," Mingi says, his eyes widened with surprise as he looks at the two boys.

"Almost?" Yunho questions. He didn't think he had forgotten anything in the recipe.

"It needs more cinnamon," He smirks at Yunho's sudden question, obviously showing that it's his that's in front of him, "But that's just a picky request. I personally like for my bread pudding to have more cinnamon than the recipe calls for. You two, always remember that you don't have to follow the recipe exactly. You're able to add and take away some ingredients as you please to fit your or the person you're making for's tastes."

Yunho pauses his eating and gets up and goes to the cupboard, taking out the cinnamon and he brings it back to the table, "How much would _you_ add?" He asks as he holds it out towards Mingi.

Mingi smiles and takes the cinnamon, their hands slightly grazing against each other as he takes it, "I'll show you," He says as he opens it and sprinkles quite a lot onto the top of his bread pudding, "This seems to be adequate, thank you, Yunho."

Yunho's fingers where Mingi's brushed him tingle from the touch and he just silently nods.

Wooyoung watches the scene in front of him go down and he can barely keep his smiles and giggles to himself, covering his mouth as he stands up, bringing his dish to the sink.

Yunho finishes his as well and goes with Wooyoung to wash their dishes, "Yours turned out well, Woo."

Wooyoung smiles when Yunho praises his dish, happy that it actually turned out decently in comparison to how his and Mingi's looked, "Thank you," he smirks, "I could feel the tension from across the table."

Yunho gently nudges Wooyoung, shooting him a look to keep his voice down since Mingi is still at the table, "Shh, you felt nothing. Just like I didn't, okay?" Yunho insists, trying to push down the past feelings that had bubbled back up. He wants to glance back to see if Mingi could hear them, but he doesn't dare.

Mingi finishes off his bread pudding that he's figured out Yunho had made and he smiles widely as he turns around and comes over to the two boys, washing his dish, interrupting their conversation unknowingly, "We had a good lesson today, didn't we?"

Wooyoung and Yunho nod, Wooyoung answering for them both, "Very! I'm looking forward to tomorrow, I'm sure we both are..." He mumbles the last part before continuing, "What are we going to be making tomorrow?"

Yunho nudges Wooyoung again, hearing what he said, but he shifts his eyes away from the situation, not wanting to make eye contact with Mingi.

"It'll be a surprise, but I think you'll both enjoy it."

Wooyoung nods excitedly, thinking about how he will be seeing San soon, his mind straying from Yunho still obviously having a thing for Mingi. He can't help it, he's been looking forward to it all week, and now he can tell San more about Yunho and how everything went today. His excitement levels are through the roof as he thinks about telling San how great he's doing in his cooking lessons.

"Wooyoung?" Yunho pops his head in front of Wooyoung, taking him out of his trance, "I'm going to go to the bathing room and ready myself for bed, is that okay?"

Wooyoung's cheeks heat up as he's brought back down to Earth, but he nods curtly, "Of course, of course... I'm going to do the same," He says, knowing it's not a complete lie, but after his bath is when San should be arriving.

Yunho smiles brightly before walking away to his room, leaving Mingi and Wooyoung in the kitchen area.

Wooyoung turns to Mingi on his way out, "You better behave around him..." He warns with a small smirk

Mingi just chuckles and shakes his head as Wooyoung leaves, the prince's tall friend still lingering on his mind.

~

Wooyoung throws his nightgown over his head after he dries off from his bath, Yeosang waiting outside to fix his hair for San's visit. Wooyoung sits in front of his dresser, looking at himself in the mirror, admiring how he looks in his white nightgown. This one has always been his favorite, and he knew his time with San tonight wouldn't be as long as normal since he had an appointment booked before he came.

Yeosang smiles as he brushes Wooyoung's hair out, "This week is turning out to be quite eventful, isn't it, my Prince?"

Wooyoung smiles, watching as Yeosang brushes through his hair, knowing he will have to get it cut soon, as it's growing too long, "I would say so."

Yeosang's smile begins to fade as something enters the front of his mind, something he had heard around the castle earlier today while Wooyoung was at his lesson with Yunho and Mingi. He knows Wooyoung sees it and he won't be able to keep what he heard from him, so he decides to say something, "Prince, I heard the King and Queen speaking earlier... Next week is when they're going to be bringing in your potential suitors for you to meet," He pauses for a moment, finishing Wooyoung's hair, "It's going to be the day when San comes."

Wooyoung's eyes are full of fear and nervousness as Yeosang tells him what he overheard, "Next week? But my cooking lessons aren't even over yet! A-And on San's day?" He asks frantically, turning around in his seat to look up at Yeosang, "Will I have to cancel him coming?"

Yeosang shakes his head, but he's honestly not sure, "If he comes as soon as your lesson ends, I think you would have a bit of time, but I'm really unsure... I only heard it in passing, but I'm sure they'll inform me when it gets closer to time considering I'll have to fix you up for the occasion."

"Maybe I can talk to father again and ask him for more time. Maybe he will let me finish my lesson before they come..." Wooyoung thinks out loud, knowing he's likely not going to extend it any longer due to the public and his Queen's opinion. It's time for Wooyoung to get married and he's going to have to face it sooner or later.

And based on what Yeosang just told him... It's going to be sooner.

He's far from ready. He has so much going on in his head right now and the last thing he wishes to worry about is whom he should choose to marry.

"Wooyoung..." Yeosang says sadly.

Wooyoung looks back at Yeosang, knowing he only says his name on rare occasions.

"I don't think he's going to push it back any more than he already has... It's been years, dear. It's going to be okay," Yeosang says, trying to be hopeful in this seemingly hopeless situation, "You could learn to love them," He tries.

Wooyoung shies away from Yeosang's gaze once again, "I don't know, Yeosang..."

"What if one of them is the one for you? I know you're afraid, my Prince, but please try to have a hopeful outlook. Don't think of it right now, just focus on Yunho being here. San is about to arrive too, is he not? He always cheers you up," Yeosang gently rubs Wooyoung's shoulder.

"He does..." Wooyoung says quietly.

"I'm going to head to bed now, my Prince. Please call me if you need anything," Yeosang says, walking out of his bedroom to let him have some time alone before San arrives.

Wooyoung just nods and gets up, going to the couch to lay down while he waits for San to get to him.

He doesn't have to wait long because almost as soon as Wooyoung lays back, there's a small creaking coming from the hidden door and San comes into the room with a wide smile on his face.

Wooyoung lifts his head to see San's bright smile shining down on him and it makes his eyes sparkle as he sees San's dimples appearing, "You're finally here," He hums, getting up quickly and going to hug him, wrapping his arms around San tightly, "I missed you..."

**End of Chapter Six**


	7. Chapter Seven

"I missed you too, Wooyoung," San says quietly into Wooyoung's shoulder, hesitantly wrapping his arms around Wooyoung as well since it seems like he really needs it right now.

Wooyoung nuzzles his face into San's neck, his body tingling when he feels San's hot breath against his skin. They stand there in one another's embrace for a while, Wooyoung letting himself feel completely comforted by San's touch. He can hear his heartbeat, just like he could that night after the party at the Hide. He wishes he could go back to that night sometimes and wished he wouldn't have fallen asleep after hearing what he thought San said.

He still doesn't actually know if he really said that...

Wooyoung finally steps back, giving San his space as he nervously smiles and rubs the back of his head, "I apologize... This week has just been a lot, and Yeosang just told me some news I didn't particularly want to hear," He explains as he goes back over to the couch where they normally sit.

San shakes his head, "There's no need to apologize," he says, sitting down on the couch across from Wooyoung, "Would you like to talk about it?"

Wooyoung sighs, "Next week is when my mother and father are having the suitors they chose for me come to the castle for me to meet them... They're coming on _our_ day," He stresses sadly.

San feels a pang in his chest when Wooyoung calls that day _their_ day. The day when San always comes and spends time with Wooyoung... San smiles to himself, his mind focusing on that for a moment before he fully registers what Wooyoung just told him, "Wait. That soon? Aren't you still in your lessons?"

"Yes, I am. I don't know why yet, but Yeosang heard it in passing early today and he just informed me. I'll know more later in the week, but I know I won't be able to let you know if we will have to cancel or not. I don't want to not see you, San," Wooyoung lays his head down and gazes over at San, wanting to see his expression.

San thinks for a moment, his eyes catching hold of Wooyoung's, "It would be too late for me to come next week, yes?"

Wooyoung frowns sadly, "That's what I'm thinking..."

"Have you ever snuck out of the castle before, my Prince?" San asks, having a plan forming in his head for them to see each other next week.

Wooyoung immediately shakes his head, "Never, no. And what did I say about calling me that?"

"Do you think you could?" He chuckles, deciding to ignore Wooyoung's question since he knows the Prince thing just slips out of his mouth sometimes without meaning to.

"I..." Wooyoung hesitates, knowing how angry his mother would be if he were to ever get caught doing something like that. He feels like his father could forgive him for something like that, but he can never really be sure. The longer he looks at San, though, the more he starts thinking he _could_ sneak out. With his hidden door, it shouldn't be that difficult.

The difficult part would be trying to convince Yeosang because he knows he would find out somehow. Yeosang always finds out about everything going on around the castle...

"Yes, I could."

Wooyoung doesn't even hear his own voice as he tells San that he could sneak out, feeling like his tongue is caught in his throat once he realizes he just said.

He can.

He can sneak out.

San smiles when he hears Wooyoung agree. He didn't think he would, but oh how his heart leaped when he heard that 'yes' come past Wooyoung's lips. San sits up in excitement, "That night, the night when I usually come to see you, meet me where the hidden door tunnel ends outside the castle. I'll be there waiting for you, does that sound okay?"

San knows that this is the only way they would still be able to see each other if Wooyoung was busy during their normal times, since he always has to leave at a specific time so as to not alert anyone in the castle that someone is here. Wooyoung has told San that the castle goes so silent that they would be able to hear a pin drop after ten at night.

The only time that time differs is when there's a party being held at the castle, but everyone in the castle knows that there is to be no noise after ten.

"O-Okay, yes, I'll be there. I won't forget," Wooyoung says, trying to keep his voice steady, but it hardly helps.

"It's going to be alright, Wooyoung. You'll be with me."

There's silence for a moment before Wooyoung eventually brings up another topic, his mind clearing and he remembers what else he wanted to talk about, "Yunho is here for a few days, my best friend."

San rests his head on his arm with an interested look on his face as Wooyoung brings up his friend, remembering him talking of him before, "Really? That's wonderful."

Wooyoung nods happily, a brighter smile spreading across his face, "Yes, yes! He even joined me in my lesson with Mingi today. He gave Mingi a run for his money with the bread pudding we made, I think. Mingi looked quite impressed with him," his bright smile slowly turns into a smirk, "His comments haven't been helping Yunho forget his old feelings, though..."

"Old feelings? Did Yunho like Mingi before? Did they see each other for a while?" San questions.

Wooyoung laughs, "No, they never saw each other in that way. Yunho was much too shy to even talk to him back then. Even now, I can see he's still tense around him. You should've seen his face when he commented about his bread pudding."

"Do you think they have a chance of being together?"

"None," Wooyoung says sadly, "Yunho is already married to a man named Lee Minho, so that path has been closed off. Even if Yunho wasn't married to Minho, he still wouldn't have a chance. Yunho's parents would never allow their precious son to marry someone in Mingi's class," Wooyoung says, trying to be sensitive with his word choice, but he knows San is well aware of class differences.

"Kind of interesting how even though he cannot be with Mingi, he chose someone with a similar name. Unless he didn't choose," San hums, thinking about the situation at hand.

"He chose..." Wooyoung starts, but what San said sticks in his mind, "He was only given a list of names, though..."

More silence befalls the two as they both think. Wooyoung has never thought of that fact, never once. Not even when Yunho came to the castle with the list of names his parents had given him.

Minho and Mingi _are_ quite similar... is that why Yunho picked that name out of them all? Even if he had done it subconsciously, it's blowing Wooyoung's mind the more he keeps thinking about it.

"I hope that your friend is happy, Wooyoung. Even if he's not with the one he had his initial interest in, I hope he's found love within Minho," San says in a hopeful tone, hoping that those words will also get through to Wooyoung since he will be meeting his potentials soon.

"I really hope that he is happy... I wish that everyone could be happy, even though I know how wishful thinking that is," Wooyoung lets out a defeated breath.

"I, too, wish that everyone could be happy, but... the world isn't always the kindest to us, I'm afraid."

Wooyoung pouts when he sees the moonlight start shining into his bedroom through the window, signaling the time for San to get ready to leave, so Wooyoung begins to get up.

San sighs, "That time so soon?"

Wooyoung nods as he goes over to San, holding out a hand to help him up which San gladly accepts. Wooyoung pulls san up from the couch and looks into his eyes as the moonlight casts a nice light on his face, "Next week outside the castle, yes...?"

"Yes," San smiles and Wooyoung wraps his arms around San's torso once again, just like when he arrived.

"It feels like heaven being in your arms," Wooyoung says breathily into San's neck, not expecting his voice to betray him like that and actually allowing him to voice his thoughts.

San is about to reply when there's a sudden knock on Wooyoung's door, startling the two men away from each other. The air becomes thick between them as Wooyoung takes a step back with his head down, "I-I better get that," he says as he hurries to the door and opens it a crack.

Wooyoung's eyes widen when he looks up and sees Yunho standing in the doorway, "Yun...? What are you doing here so late?"

"I-" Yunho pauses when his eyes drift past Wooyoung, into his room, to the mysterious man standing by the couches in the middle of Wooyoung's room, "I didn't mean to interrupt, Woo..." He says as he shifts his eyes away from the scene in front of him.

Wooyoung shakes his head, "Yun, no, you're not interrupting. Are you feeling alright?" He asks, thinking he saw something in Yunho's eyes. He thought he saw him holding back something, almost like he had a secret he was begging to tell.

"I'm alright, Woo... But can you come to my room when you're able to?" Yunho asks, turning around to go back to his room.

"Wait right here, I'll be just a moment. I promise," Wooyoung says in a desperate tone, closing the door carefully to go back to send San off.

Only...

San isn't there anymore.

He must've left after hearing the distress in Yunho's voice and after saying his name, he learned who the man in the doorway was.

Wooyoung sighs, looking at the place where San once stood not too long ago and he sees a small piece of paper on the table. What is this? Wooyoung goes and picks up the piece of paper, flipping it over to see small scribbles of writing.

_I'll see you soon, Wooyoung_

Wooyoung smiles as he reads the note that he knows San left for him, quickly going and putting it in his side table by his bed before going back to the door.

When he opens it, Yunho is still standing there, being as quiet as he can be since he knows the time. Wooyoung waves him in and closes the door to make as little noise as he possibly can.

"I kissed him..." Yunho lets out as a mere whisper, unsure if Wooyoung will even be able to hear what he just revealed.

Wooyoung comes over to Yunho with a confused look on his face, seeing how Yunho won't even look at him, "Hmm?" He questions, thinking Yunho said something, but he couldn't make it out.

"I kissed him, Woo."

Wooyoung feels his blood run cold as Yunho speaks louder, hearing his voice threatening to crack.

Wooyoung doesn't know what to say. He knows that having an affair is one of the worst things you can do, no matter how often it happens from what San has told him and from being at that party and seeing a few familiar faces around. Yunho didn't have to say who exactly he kissed, Wooyoung knows he is talking about Mingi.

They kissed.

"How did this happen?" Wooyoung nervously asks, going to sit on his bed, motioning for Yunho to come sit with him, but he doesn't move from his standing position, seemingly frozen in place.

"I... Well, it wasn't too long ago... I came here almost right after it happened," Yunho starts, twiddling with his fingers as he speaks, "I went down to the kitchen to find a snack or get something to drink and... He was there cleaning up from making dinner for everyone from earlier still, I think..." Yunho continues, thinking back and remembering what exactly happened.

~

Mingi and Yunho both jump, a bit startled, when Yunho enters the kitchen since neither of them expected the other to be there. Yunho thought it would be late enough to miss him, but he was so wrong.

"Yunho, what are you doing down here so late?" Mingi asks with his hand on his heart since it started pounding after being scared.

"I- I," Yunho's words seem to fall apart the longer he looks at Mingi, his eyes lingering on his angular face, admiring his sharp jawline and his perfectly straight nose bridge. Yunho melts the longer he stares at the head cook, only coming out of his daze when he hears the sound of Mingi's deep voice once again.

"Would you like some water before bed?" Mingi asks, showing his shining smile before turning around and getting a glass to fill with water.

"Yes, that would be— nice," Yunho says quietly, moving further into the kitchen to meet Mingi when he turns back around with the water filled glass.

Mingi holds out the glass for him and as Yunho takes it out of his grasp, their fingers brush against one another's like they had earlier today during the lesson. Mingi's soft touch makes Yunho recoil his hand out of nervousness, shying away from his touch.

What Yunho doesn't expect, however, is when Mingi reaches back out to grab ahold of Yunho's other hand, willing him to meet his gaze.

"Have a good night, Yunho... Sleep well," Mingi says with a soft smile, looking into Yunho's anxiety-filled eyes, wishing he wasn't so scared of him.

"Y-You too, Mingi," Yunho feels his entire body ease when their eyes finally meet, looking into his deep brown eyes.

There's a clear, heavy and thick tension between the two of them that they know they both are feeling, but it's a calm silence as words unsaid and questions unasked swirl around them.

"Are you afraid of me?" Mingi chances by asking, needing to know the answer since he can't tell what Yunho's exact emotions are. He's never been that good at understanding what other people are feeling, commonly confusing one emotion for another one.

Yunho shakes his head with no hesitation, "I would never be afraid of you. Why would you ask that...?" Yunho questions, wondering if he's really come off as scared.

Mingi suddenly shushes him after hearing his question, taking Yunho quickly and hiding them both after he heard footsteps coming near the kitchen.

When Mingi was in the midst of hiding them behind one of the tables, Yunho's water slightly splashed out of his glass and onto the floor, leaving a small puddle on the floor where they were once staying.

"I thought I heard something in here."

"It was probably Mingi cleaning up from dinner. He sometimes stays late preparing for breakfast the next morning, it's likely nothing."

"Well, we'll see about that."

Yunho then hears some footsteps coming into the kitchen, a candle being one of the only sources of light, so they're able to hide relatively easily. Yunho is almost too scared about being caught by the guards that he doesn't notice how close he and Mingi are. Almost.

They hold eye contact almost the entirety of the time the two they hear the guards and it causes Yunho's heart to pound even harder than it is from fear.

"What is this?"

"It looks like water. It must've spilled while cleaning."

"Hmm... It looks like no one is in here, you're right. Sorry, sir."

"It's not a problem, it's always better to be safe than sorry."

The two men hear the voices begin trailing off and Yunho lets out a deep breath, finally allowing himself to breathe normally.

Mingi quietly chuckles, "I felt like I could hear your heart beating from here."

Yunho frustratedly swats Mingi on the shoulder, "Why did we have to hide?"

"You're not supposed to be out of your room, are you, Yunho?"

Yunho shies away from Mingi's gaze at that question, knowing he _technically_ shouldn't be out right now, no... His face is soon brought back to look at Mingi when a warm hand touches his cheek, gently moving his head back. The two look at each other with heavy eyes, Yunho's lips instinctually parting when Mingi's hand doesn't leave its place on his face.

Mingi can feel an aching in his chest as he looks at Yunho, always suspecting he had liked him while growing up. Mingi admired the boy as well, finding it charming how shy he would be around him. He could take the chance right now and...

Yunho feels like his heart is about to burst from his chest as he closes his eyes and leans forward into Mingi, eventually letting his lips graze Mingi's, feeling how velvety soft they feel against his own.

Mingi falls into the kiss easily, having thought about doing it himself, but Yunho had beaten him to the punch. Mingi carefully held Yunho's face, stroking his cheek with his thumb as they continued their long and slow kiss, taking in as much of each other as they could.

Yunho had sat his glass of water down on the floor when Mingi first hid them down here, and when their lips part he had already forgotten about it. As he's crouched there staring back at Mingi after the kiss they just shared, Yunho's mind is so clouded it's like a thick fog keeping him from thinking straight.

"I—" Yunho chokes out, starting to get up from the floor. What did he just do? What has he done...? Yunho starts to freak out as he stands up, "I have to get to bed," he says quickly and rushes out of the kitchen area.

He just had an affair. He had an affair. Did he really just kiss another man? Yunho can't believe what he's just done and gotten himself into. He can only think to run to Wooyoung's room.

So he does...

~

"That's what happened," Yunho says in almost relief, finally telling his best friend what he's done. He's finally gotten it off of his chest, even though it _just_ happened. He knew the guilt would absolutely eat him up inside if he had to wait until the next day.

Wooyoung brings Yunho into a hug since halfway through his story, Yunho did come and sit with Wooyoung on his bed, "It's going to be alright, Yun."

Yunho feels himself tearing up when he feels his best friend's arms wrapped around him, sniffling as he rests his head on Wooyoung's shoulder, "I-I don't think it will be, Woo. I messed up. I messed up big."

Wooyoung's heart breaks when he hears Yunho finally let out a sob, only causing him to hold him even tighter, "Shhh..." Wooyoung hums, rubbing Yunho's back to let him know he's safe and he can let it all out.

Yunho once again sleeps in Wooyoung's bed that night, not wanting to go back to his room and be alone in a time like this. He knew Wooyoung wouldn't let him go even if he tried, though.

As they're laying there in bed, Yunho thinks so hard about the question Wooyoung asks him that it makes his head hurt because he's not sure he wants to actually admit what his answer is.

"How did the kiss make you feel?"

**End of Chapter Seven**


	8. Chapter Eight

"I was thinking that this Choi Jongho boy seems like a good choice for our Wooyoung, don't you think, Siyeon?" Hongjoong asks, looking down at the list of names they both compiled to come to the castle next week.

Choi Jongho

Im Nayeon

Son Seongjun

Hwang Yeji

Seo Changbin

Kim Yongsun

Siyeon rolls her eyes, "I'm just glad we've finally agreed to make him stop waiting around and procrastinating with this schooling fiasco."

"Fiasco? Wooyoung has been doing quite well in his lessons, has he not?" Hongjoong looks up at his wife, confused with what she said.

"I went down to the kitchen the other day and didn't seem to be doing so well to me," Siyeon states matter of factly, tapping her finger on Hongjoong's desk, "He plays too much. I believe that he's only playing around so much to lengthen the time until he has to be wed off. He's playing you, honey."

Hongjoong narrows his eyes, studying his wife's face, "Wooyoung wouldn't do that..."

"He can and he _is_ , Hongjoong. Why can you never see it? You're never able to get it through your thick skull that Wooyoung will never stop trying to stall his wedding ceremony. He's always been this way!" Siyeon yells, becoming fed up, "He's the worst child," she mutters, some venom behind her words.

Hongjoong stands up, his palms face down on his desk as he confronts Siyeon, "Don't you _dare_ say that about our son. Wooyoung has never done anything wrong, has he? You've always mentioned how often you catch him doing poorly-mannered things, yet I never see any of it," he sighs before continuing, hating the way he's getting livid, "Wooyoung's told me how cruel you act towards him and I want it to stop, Siyeon. He's our son."

Siyeon's face is crimson red from anger, her blood boiling over, "He's rotten, Hongjoong. One day you'll see it," she spits and then storms out of his office.

Hongjoong sits back down in his chair and relaxes back once she leaves, letting his eyes close in an attempt to give himself a moment's peace from all of the stress that's built up on him. He takes a few seconds to himself before sitting back up straight, pinching the bridge of his nose while releasing yet another sigh.

Hongjoong picks up the list of suitors he and Siyeon had chosen for Wooyoung and opens the drawer to put it back away when his eyes catch light of an old memory.

A ring...

He carefully picks up the small silver ring, a smile spreading across his face as he looks longingly at the ring that holds so many memories for him. Staring at it makes him think about all of the broken and forgotten promises it held from his past before ever getting married to Siyeon.

Hongjoong rolls the rings around with his fingers, remembering the day when he and his former lover exchanged these rings with each other. His heart pounds faster as his mind fills with thoughts of...

"Excuse me, King Hongjoong," A guard interrupts Hongjoong's thoughts when he enters his office, "I've received information about something regarding the castle."

Hongjoong looks up and calmly slips the ring back into the drawer, sliding it closed as he composes himself, "Go on."

"We have reasonable suspicion to believe someone is entering the castle without your permission, my King."

Hongjoong crosses his legs and strokes his chin, "Have you seen anything?"

The guard nods, "I heard voices coming from the kitchen the other night. My partner and I investigated, finding no physical bodies, but we did find spilt water on the floor. We don't want to take any chances, now do we? That's why I decided to bring it up to you, my King."

Hongjoong thinks to himself for a moment.

_An intruder?_

Throughout today's cooking lesson, Wooyoung kept eyeing Yunho, noticing how he was hardly speaking at all. It made the whole lesson quite awkward and he thinks it's lucky when, towards the end of the lesson, Wooyoung's father comes into the kitchen.

"Wooyoung, come here. I need to speak with you," King Hongjoong announces, motioning for his son to come out with him.

Wooyoung goes after his father, giving a small wave to Yunho and Mingi. Maybe this will finally give them some time to talk, he thinks. He doesn't like seeing Yunho quiet, it makes him feel weird since his best friend has always been so talkative and bubbly -- aside from when he saw Mingi, that is.

"Is something wrong, Father?" Wooyoung asks, but he has a suspicion it's something to do with his mother coming into the kitchen the other day.

King Hongjoong sighs, "Son, I want you to be especially careful now, okay? I've received a tip from one of our guards that there could be an intruder in the castle."

Wooyoung keeps calm on the outside, but inside he's freaking out. Does someone know about San? That's impossible, isn't it? They're never left Wooyoung's room and Wooyoung's never mentioned him once outside of Yeosang and soon he's going to have to explain to Yunho because he knows he will ask.

Wooyoung's mind is running a mile a minute, knowing that the possible intruder _must_ be San.

Who else could it be?

King Hongjoong takes his son's silence as the go-ahead for him to continue, "I'm assigning more guards to your room, and there will be one that comes in to check on you in the morning as well as the evening. Yeosang will be notified about this and he, too, will be looking out for you more than normal."

Wooyoung just nods, still unsure of what to say at this moment. Yeosang knows about San already, so there shouldn't be any issues there, he thinks. The newfound problems will arise with his guards coming in to check on him... He's going to have to memorize the schedule that they check on him so that San isn't caught.

"There's one more thing I wanted to discuss with you, son."

Wooyoung looks up at him, clearing his thoughts, "Yes, father?"

"Next week, the suitors your mother and I have chosen for you will be coming here to meet you," Hongjoong explains, "But do not worry, you'll be given the opportunity to narrow down the pool to the ones that stand out most to you. Once you've done that, you'll be able to go out with one of them -- with a castle guard's supervision, of course -- for an evening of your choosing."

Wooyoung's eyes widen at his father's words, slightly shocked at how nice it all seems in the way he speaks about it and explains everything. Even through the flowery delivery of next week's inevitable torment, San never leaves Wooyoung's mind. He always is there, right at the forefront.

San...

Oh, how he wishes he could use that special outing on the one he holds dearest. His mind once again clouds itself with images of San and how it felt to be in his arms that night at the Hide. He was so lost in thought, he almost missed when his father had even more to say.

Words he wished weren't real, ones he pleaded to be a lie.

"We're doing all of this for you, son, so that once your lessons have ended... You'll be able to be wed right away," Hongjoong finalizes, his chest filled with mixed emotion at his beloved son's face of shock.

"Right away...?" Wooyoung questions, hoping that he didn't hear him right.

King Hongjoong only nods, "It's time."

Wooyoung watches as his father leaves, and as soon as he's out of sight, Wooyoung begins to mentally hyperventilate.

As soon as his lessons end...? That's so soon. Too soon.

He realizes how little time he truly has than he originally had thought and he doesn't know what to do anymore. Wooyoung always knew that this time would come, but he knows now that he would never be ready for it.

He tries to convince himself to stay optimistic, repeating in his head that the suitors his parents chose could contain _the one_ he's been looking for, but...

The name _Choi San_ continues to echo through his mind. The more time he's spent with the courtesan, the more his feelings of friendship have developed into something more. Something he was afraid to think too hard about, for fear he would be correct in his feelings towards him.

_The world isn't the kindest to us_

Wooyoung remembers back to everything San has said to him and his words couldn't be more true. It felt like the world was doing everything in its power to tear him and San apart, but Wooyoung wasn't ready to let go. It was much too soon.

Wooyoung had a feeling that this was only the beginning.

**End of Chapter Eight**


	9. Chapter Nine

Yunho glances over at Mingi as soon as Wooyoung and King Hongjoong leave the kitchen area, knowing the atmosphere surrounding them right now is thicker than the butter he just had to cut through. Mingi catches his gaze and Yunho immediately looks down, trying to focus on what he's doing.

"Is everything okay...?" Mingi's soft voice echoes through the small kitchen as he places a warm hand over top of Yunho's, willing him to look up again.

Yunho does exactly as Mingi predicts and looks at him with worried eyes. He bites his lip in an attempt to contain his threatening tears, but he can't help the liquid welling up in his eyes as he looks at the man he's been smitten with for so long.

A single tear trails down Yunho's cheek before he lets out a hic, "N-Nothing is okay," he says, his head falling down to stare at their touching hands.

The tear falls onto the top of Mingi's hand and Mingi tries to shush Yunho, hoping to calm him down. He looks around and sees no one, so he allows himself to bring Yunho into an embrace, "Talk to me, Yun."

Yunho hardly has time to process the nickname before his mouth spills open with words, "I-I'm just so confused and... Ashamed... I-I'm married you know," Yunho says, but it's almost as if he's asking himself.

Mingi is shocked, but nods, letting Yunho release all of his tensions and emotions as he strokes up and down his back, listening to every word Yunho says. He keeps his face neutral as to not worry the boy pouring his heart out to him.

"I've always had feelings for you, Mingi... B-But, I'm married now... God, why do I still have them," Yunho whines into Mingi's shoulder, going through an inner-turmoil with himself, "I-I shouldn't still have these feelings for you anymore, but here I am... In your arms," Yunho tries to stifle a laugh.

Mingi smiles at the ending part of Yunho's words, but he was overwhelmed by the load Yunho just dropped upon him. He didn't know of Yunho's marriage since he's not muchly on the 'in' of castle drama and such. He's unaware of who outside the castle is married and to whom, of course.

Mingi's never been one to act on his feelings as he had with Yunho, but he thought if he didn't do it when he had the chance, that the chance would go past him as it had for so many years and he would have regretted it. Holding Yunho in his arms as he is right now, and even through what he revealed, he doesn't regret it. That may make him a bad person, in a sense, but when he looks at Yunho...

There's not a single regret he has.

"Do you regret kissing me?" Mingi asks bluntly, pulling away from their embrace so he's able to look into Yunho's beautiful chocolate brown eyes.

Yunho stays quiet, unsure of if words could even leave his mouth at this moment. He doesn't know his response, either. Does he regret it? Yunho's eyebrows knit together in deep thought. His eyes begin to drift away, but are soon brought back with Mingi's next question.

"How did the kiss make you feel?" Mingi whispers.

Yunho's heart rate picks up with that one, remembering how Wooyoung had asked him the same exact question the previous night. Yunho was afraid to answer Wooyoung, but with him standing here staring into Mingi's eyes, he knew his answer.

"Alive."

~

Later that evening, Yeosang comes in to get Wooyoung ready for bed.

"Next week will be okay, right, Yeo...?" Wooyoung asks for what seems like the millionth time.

Yeosang chuckles, brushing out Wooyoung's hair after he picks out his nightgown, "Yes, Prince Wooyoung. Everything will be okay," he hums, "Are you worried about... San?" Yeosang asks quietly, knowing that the night guard is standing outside.

Wooyoung nods sadly, looking up at Yeosang through the mirror, "I didn't intend to fall head over heels for him," Wooyoung sighs, getting up as soon as Yeosang puts the brush down, "I really didn't, Yeo... And I don't think I realized just how much I had until you told me about next week -- which father clarified for me earlier this afternoon. The thought of having to let him go isn't doing my heart any good," He chuckles, making his way over to his bed to lay down, "I honestly feel like I won't be able to do it."

Yeosang sits down on the edge of Wooyoung's bed, making sure he's tucked in -- even if he's much too old to be doing so, Yeosang _is_ Wooyoung's caretaker and he will always take the best care of him that he can.

"I feel... Very safe with him, in every meaning of the word," Wooyoung explains, turning on his side so he can look over at Yeosang, "Do you know what I mean?"

Yeosang gives him a hopeful smile, shaking his head, "I'm afraid not, my prince. Please explain it to me, this feeling you're experiencing," he says, hoping that it'll help Wooyoung if he can finally relay his feelings to someone who will listen to him without interruption. Yeosang knows that Wooyoung can't speak about San to anyone other than him -- well, he believes that Yunho knows, but he can't be sure.

"I feel as if a fire has been set ablaze inside of me and refuses to be put out. Every time I see or think about him, the flames burn brighter and roars louder. That's the best way I can think of to describe the feeling that San gives me," Wooyoung says softly, his eyes sparkling over talking about San.

Yeosang thinks about it for a minute, wondering if Wooyoung will say anything else like he often does. A fire? Yeosang wonders how a fire within oneself would even feel. He shivers at the thought, feeling like it couldn't possibly be as pleasant as Prince Wooyoung says it is.

"We're going out next week, you know..." Wooyoung smiles mischievously.

Yeosang cocks one eyebrow, "And where will you be going, young man?"

"I'm not quite sure, actually, but he told me to meet him outside by the hidden entrance," Wooyoung explains, "I can't wait to spend time with him somewhere else. It's been so long," Wooyoung stares up at his ceiling, remembering the night they spent together in San's room at the Hide.

"Are you sure about this?" Yeosang asks, clearly worried about Wooyoung sneaking out of the castle with the heightened security now in place.

"I've never been more sure, Yeosang. I'd give just about anything to spend more time with him," Wooyoung lets out a sigh, "He makes me delirious. All of my worries are suddenly gone when I'm with him. Everything that has to do with my mother and father, finding a suitor, and my responsibilities as Prince... He allows me to finally be at peace."

Yeosang looks down at his feet, knowing that this most likely won't end well between San and Wooyoung, but he couldn't bear to break Wooyoung's heart right now... Not when the inevitable is slowly creeping up on them.

Wooyoung yawns and rolls over onto his other side, "Perhaps if I sleep now, my mind will grant me the nicety of dreaming of him tonight," he says, his voice groggy with unrest.

Yeosang nods, standing up and flattening back out the part of the duvet he was sitting on, "Goodnight, Wooyoung," he says, smiling at his outline under the covers, "You'll be a wonderful king one day," he whispers before exiting Wooyoung's bedroom and bidding goodbye to the night guard.

That night, Wooyoung does indeed dream about the one and only Choi San.

_"Where are you going, my dear?"_

_"To my favorite place! Come here, Sannie~" Wooyoung calls back, grabbing onto San's hand to lead him into a large field of greens, reds, and yellows._

_"Woo, this is incredible... This field of flowers seems to go on forever, doesn't it?"_

_"Isn't it just the most exquisite thing you've ever seen?" Wooyoung asks, spinning around like a child in the small clearing. He's stopped by San's arms wrapping around his waist, feeling his chin atop his shoulder._

_"Ah, close, but not quite." San whispers before he gives his neck a tender kiss, letting his lips linger there for a moment._

_Wooyoung turns around and grabs ahold of both San's hands, letting himself fall back into the bed of flowers behind him. They land safely and the bright sun is beaming down on the two of them, "What is, then?" Wooyoung asks, his smile shining even more radiant with the sunkissed look his face exudes._

_San smirks, "I think you know the answer to that, my beloved Wooyoung..."_

_Just as San is about to lean in to let his lips meet Wooyoung's, a loud_ bang _echoes through the area, causing all of the birds to fly out of the surrounding trees. The ground beneath them begins to rumble and Wooyoung's eyes widen in fear, grabbing onto San for support._

_"San, what's going on?"_

_"I don't-"_

_A whirlwind of horses storm past the couple, threatening to stampede over them with every step. The field of flowers turns into a flattened land in the span of mere minutes and when Wooyoung looks back to San for comfort, he's disappeared._

_Wooyoung stands up in quick motion, calling out for his love with all his chest can stammer._

_Wooyoung turns around to where the horses were heading and his eyes widen further upon seeing the heinous scenes of war befalling the once beautiful area._

_Destruction..._

_Wooyoung sprints through what's left of the field, the wind whipping his hair back as he runs. He needs to find San._

_Where are you, San...?_

_Wooyoung frantically runs into the middle of the battle, hearing the sounds of metal clanging together as many of the men fight with swords on horseback._

_Blood._

_It's everywhere._

_Wooyoung trips over one of the fallen bodies, covering his once white clothing in crimson._

_"San?" Wooyoung calls out, getting up haphazardly and he continues running through the warzone he's found himself in._

_Up ahead, Wooyoung sees a wooden platform and he swears he saw San behind one of the men. Wooyoung begins running faster and faster, finally reaching the wooden platform to a horror he never would've expected to see._

_San was standing on the platform being manhandled by two guards as a rope was tied around his neck. Wooyoung's face twisted into a horrific image, feeling like his knees are growing weak at seeing his love like this. Behind San's struggling body, Wooyoung sees his mother, Siyeon, smiling widely and laughing as soon as she sees Wooyoung amongst all the slaughter._

_"SAN!" Wooyoung cries out in a loud whine._

_San looks up at Wooyoung when he hears his voice through the clouds that plagued his mind and as soon as their eyes meet, the guards let go, letting San fall._

Wooyoung wakes up quickly, panting hard as he looks around his room with wide eyes -- seemingly looking for any sign of San, and finding none. He feels tears streaming down his face and he tries to take a few deep breaths in an attempt to calm himself down.

It was only a dream...

Everything is fine, Wooyoung reassures himself.

For now.

**End of Chapter Nine**


	10. Chapter Ten

**Pre-chapter announcement - This story will be going into irregular updates until further notice (so I can focus on Horizon and I didn't expect the change in my job to take up so much of my time.) I hope that you all will understand <3 Don't worry, this story isn't going away! :) Just no schedule!**

Wooyoung is being led down to the great room of the castle by his guards, Yeosang close by his side still adjusting parts of his suit and fixing his hair as they walk.

"Today is the day, Prince Wooyoung," Yeosang says with a hopeful smile.

Wooyoung nods, unable to stop the erratic thumping of his heartbeat as they get closer and closer to the great room. He knows that inside will be all the suitors his mother and father chose for him, and with that, he knows there will be a few bad apples that his mother chose specifically.

"Can't you see my joy-ridden face?" Wooyoung says with a faux smile, but he quickly lets it fall back to his neutral expression.

Yeosang shakes his head, "Let's try to think positively, my prince. You can at least look forward to... the special dinner that Mingi planned for tonight," He says, referring to Wooyoung actually going to meet San tonight, but with all the guards around, he chooses his words carefully.

Wooyoung shows a genuine smile on his face as they now enter the great room, his mind full of San and where they could possibly be going this evening.

"Ah, he's finally arrived," King Hongjoong exclaims with a happy tone, the Queen behind him with a sinister expression on her face that she masks with the copious amounts of accessories and makeup adorning her hair and face.

"It's about time," Queen Siyeon hums, going up to Wooyoung, "I think you'll enjoy the ones we have chosen for you, right, darling" She asks, turning her head back towards her husband at the end of her question.

Wooyoung sees his father nod and his attention drifts to the six suitors standing all together, staring back at him.

Wooyoung examines all six of them, seeing an even split of three women and three men. He's happy that they had tried to make it a fair competition for his hand, but Wooyoung's known he's always noticed men much more than he's ever noticed women, so he takes in the men's appearances a bit more closely.

He first observes a man about his height with chocolate brown hair that lays covering his forehead completely, but his face looks kind. His stature looks well-defined with his fabric of his suit tugging slightly around his biceps, showing how toned he must be beneath it all. His eyes fall onto the man's hands, and he knows that he must work hard, as they're calloused.

Wooyoung's eyes trail over to see a man slightly shorter than him with a similar haircut as the first, but his hair is as black as the night sky. He has this intimidating aura about him and his resting state looks to be a frown, noticing how his lips curve downward. His stature looks built, but his suit is quite a bit looser, so he cannot distinguish much of his body features aside from when his eyes venture to his legs, seeing that he has thicker thighs than the normal man.

He feels pretentious judging these men as they're all standing right there, but he wants to know what kind of person he will be talking to. The way a person looks and carries themselves can tell a lot about their personality, he's found.

Finally, he's come to the last man, him being much taller than the previous two. His coltish stature makes sense as to why his suit looks to fit perfectly, but the legs ride up just enough to see the start of his black socks. His face reveals him to be nervous, his eyes constantly shifting back and forth as if he doesn't know how much eye contact he's allowed to make.

"Hello, Prince Wooyoung, my name is Choi Jongho," The first boy that Wooyoung observed steps up and bows to him, which Wooyoung returns.

The second boy introduced himself as Seo Changbin, and the third boy as Son Seongjun. The only one out of the women that seemed to care enough to be there was Hwang Yeji. The other two were less than memorable, and Wooyoung had immediately taken them, and the tall and lanky boy out of the running.

"We're going to have the Prince take a few minutes alone with each of you to get to know your personalities."

Wooyoung goes to sit in a separate room that he was told to be in, and the suitors would be brought in one at a time.

He felt nervous, but who wouldn't be when your future spouse was one of three people he was about to talk to. Wooyoung knew he had to pick one of them, but his heart would always belong to San, no matter his choosing.

Wooyoung relaxes back in his seat, his mind being taken away by thoughts of seeing San later that night. His mind starts to enter more interesting territory when he imagines the feeling of San's lips on his own, knowing that they would slot together perfectly.

"Excuse me, Prince?"

Wooyoung quickly looks up and sees a shorter man enter the room and sit down across from him.

"I hear that we finally have some alone time together?" The man says, and Wooyoung remembers that this man's name was Seo Changbin. He looks at Wooyoung with a smirk crossing his lips, "You look mighty handsome in that suit of yours, I must say."

"Ah, thank you," Wooyoung says, but he's not given a lot of time to say much else since Changbin takes hold of the conversation immediately.

"The pleasure is all mine," Changbin winks and crosses his legs, "Do you enjoy cooking?"

Wooyoung is surprised by the man's forwardness, and at first, he's unsure of what to think about it, "I do, actually. That's the final lesson that I'm finishing up."

"You should cook me something sometime," Changbin chuckles and leans on his elbow on the table to lessen the distance between him and Wooyoung.

Wooyoung laughs awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head, "We'll have to see. I wouldn't want to give you food poisoning."

"I thought you said you were good at cooking, my Prince?"

"I _enjoy_ cooking... Good, however, is... Up for interpretation," Wooyoung smiles playfully, remembering the time when he actually did give Mingi food poisoning. He's sure he's gotten much better, though. Maybe he could cook something for San one day, Wooyoung thinks, the smile not leaving his face.

Changbin chuckles once again, a hidden smirk still behind his innocent sounding laughter, "I'd love to... interpret it," he says, but is interrupted by the last standing woman in the group, Hwang Yeji.

"Your time's up, shorty," Yeji snickers, walking over to the table with a sway in her hips.

Changbin narrows his eyes at the pretty young woman, standing up, but looking back at Wooyoung with a more friendly face, "I hope to see you soon, my Prince," he hums, leaning down and placing a kiss to the top of Wooyoung's hand.

"What a schmoozer," Yeji says, sitting down where Changbin was once sitting, "Don't tell me you were actually considering that con?"

Wooyoung is surprised by Yeji's strong personality upon first meeting, "I don't believe I'll make any solid decisions today, or the next day, for that matter-" He mumbles the last part and it causes Yeji to giggle.

"I'm glad to hear that, Prince. So, what do you like to do? You know, since we're supposed to get to know each other and all," Yeji leans back in the chair and crosses her legs.

"I like to learn," Wooyoung starts, "And to read... And now that I'm saying out loud what I like, I'm realizing I sound quite boring."

Yeji rubs her thumb under her chin, "Not at all. What do you like to read?"

"Romance."

"Ah, you're one of those," Yeji smiles, "I know that you said you wouldn't make a decision today, but you've already made some. There's already only three of us left and deep down, you likely already know which one of us you're going to choose. Just like the authors of romance already know who will end up with who, right?"

Wooyoung nods, listening intently to what Yeji is saying to him.

"I'm willing to bet you haven't even met with the one you're going to choose," she winks, "There's reason for each person you picked, my Prince. Even if you don't know it consciously," she hums, looking around the room a bit before letting her eyes fall back onto Wooyoung, "I didn't mean to get so philosophical on you, but I'm someone that likes to observe people and their actions, you see... And that man before me seemed- hmm, how should I put this? Shady."

"You know, my Lady, you do have a lot to say about others, but tell me about _yourself_ more. You like to observe, so why is that?" Wooyoung wonders, having never met someone as open to smear others so easily.

"The kingdom isn't as cushy and plush as you might perceive it from this castle, Prince Wooyoung. There's a lot of deceit and malevolence around here, and especially secrets. Many people know how to put on a front, but you need to learn how to see past that and understand who they really are. You said you like to learn, so I know you'll be able to figure out what I'm trying to get you to see."

Wooyoung nods slowly, his brain processing all of this information as she spouts it.

"Learning and reading are what you like, so you must _learn_ how to _read_ ," Yeji finishes, interlocking her fingers on her crossed legs.

Wooyoung is about to say more, but the last boy enters the room with them.

Choi Jongho, if he remembers correctly.

"Well, I guess my time is up," Yeji stands, "Just think about what I said, my Prince," she smiles towards him and gives him a small wave as she exits, happy with her work well done.

Wooyoung finds himself looking over Jongho more critically after the conversation he just had with Lady Yeji, "It's nice to finally meet you one-on-one, Lord Jongho."

Jongho smiles brightly, his upper lip curling up a bit further to expose his gums and it makes him look more childish, "Yes, my Prince, it's nice to meet you like this. I remember briefly seeing you at the Spring Festivals, but this is much nicer."

Wooyoung nods with a smile, happy that someone of similar age was thrown into the mix for him. He sees how stiff his posture looks and realizes that he must be feeling nervous, "You can relax, I'm no one scary."

"I beg to differ, my Prince. You could order to have my head at any moment, and it would happen," Jongho jokes, trying his best to lighten the mood for himself.

"You know, all day I've been called by my title, and I've always disliked it... Please, just Wooyoung is fine. I won't 'have your head' as you would say, for it, either."

Wooyoung just wanted to feel normal amongst all of the abnormality that is this situation he's in. Of course, it's not so abnormal for the majority of people of his age or status, but for him? It's exceptionally uncomfortable. He knows that the only way he's made it this far today was the promising thoughts of seeing San.

It's almost time, Wooyoung thinks to himself. Just a bit longer.

Jongho's eyes noticeably widen at Wooyoung's request, "Are you positive?"

Wooyoung returns his question in a single nod.

"Act as if I'm one of your friends back home," Wooyoung suggests.

Jongho laughs, "No, no, I could never do that. You would surely have my head for that," he insists.

Wooyoung can't help but chuckle and shake his head, "What did I say about that?"

Jongho takes a breath and nods, "Right. Well, are you having a good day, Prin- Wooyoung?"

"I would say it's been well, but it's going to be even better tonight," Wooyoung answers honestly, hoping that his sincere reply will open up the boy a bit.

Jongho does ease, letting himself relax back into the chair, "Really? Why is that?"

"I'm going out," Wooyoung smiles happily as he thinks about San, "But what about you? Are you having a good day?"

"It's been quite exhausting, if I'm honest... We've been travelling all day since I live a while away, but we're staying in the city while we're here. I'm not looking forward to the trip back though," Jongho hums.

"I can't remember the last time I travelled so far, but I'm sure your back is not feeling up to par. Am I right?" Wooyoung asks, worried about the long journey Jongho had taken to be here today.

Jongho nods and sighs, "Naturally," he groans as he tries to crack his back with the chair he's sitting in, "There's this one knot that I cannot get out for the life of me, Wooyoung."

Wooyoung smiles, happy to see him actually treating him like one of his friends, "I could send my physician to you. I'm sure he could help out your back a lot, he's a miracle worker with ailments of the body."

"Really? You would do that?" Jongho asks excitedly, sitting up more in his seat.

"Of course."

A turning of the doorknob puts a halt to their conversation as the door is opened by King Hongjoong and Queen Siyeon, his father coming over to the two boys first, with his mother in tow.

"I'm afraid that this is all the time we have for today, Lord Jongho. We, especially my son, hope to see you back in the castle soon. Thank you for coming today," King Hongjoong announces and bids Jongho goodbye, seeing him out, while Queen Siyeon stays behind for a few moments to give Wooyoung one of her sinister smirks.

Later that night, Wooyoung is laying under his covers still fully dressed, awaiting for his guard to do his final check-in with him before he 'goes to sleep' for the night.

He put on a flowy white dress shirt and sleek grey slacks before getting into bed, feeling a little nervous about his choice in shirt because of how it hangs on him. It allows for his collarbones to breathe and puts his neck on show. Wooyoung hasn't missed the way San's eyes especially notice any exposed skin of his, and it always sets his heart ablaze. As well as... Other parts of him, but he shouldn't be thinking about those salacious thoughts that invade his mind so late into the night.

He hears his bedroom door slowly up, revealing his night guard in lesser armor than the normal day guards - presumably to be more comfortable standing outside his room all night.

"Are you all settled for the night, Prince?" The night guard asks and Wooyoung replies in a subtle nod.

"Yes, thank you. I hope you're well for the rest of the evening," Wooyoung says, a soft smile on his face towards the guard after he wishes him a good night.

The guard checks around the room a bit before leaving, but as soon as the bedroom door clicks shut, Wooyoung uncovers himself and slips out of his warm bed. He tiptoes carefully over to the hidden door, looking back out his window to judge how high the moon is in the sky.

San should be there already, Wooyoung thinks as he enters the hidden door and starts making his way out of the castle. When he opens the door to the outside, a cool breeze gusts into him, blowing his hair back and the hair on his body instantly stands up.

"Woo, you look so handsome," San's voice echoes through the night, breaking the silence of the night that surrounds them.

Wooyoung looks up at San with doe eyes and the way the moonlight shines onto his face makes his cheeks heat up, "As do you," Wooyoung replies, the breath coming from his mouth visible in the air.

"Let's go," San smiles, taking Wooyoung's hand in his own as he leads him off into the night, and Wooyoung follows him, trusting him fully. The thrill of where San will take him makes his heart race, but, of course, that's not the only reason his heart is pounding like it is...

Wooyoung's mind glows with this hazy dreamlike view of the back of San while they walk and he focuses on the feeling of San's hand in his own, knowing that this is something he would want to feel for the rest of his life if he could.

**End of Chapter Ten**


	11. Chapter Eleven

Wooyoung didn’t expect to wind up in a pub on the outskirts of the kingdom, but that’s exactly where San brought him. It’s far enough out of the way to where most of the people inhabiting it aren’t from around here, but close enough that they were able to get there with plenty of time to spend together.

Wooyoung keeps the hood of his jacket he slipped on up as they set down at the bar, San moving his stool closer to Wooyoung’s before he takes his seat.

“Where’d you find this place?” Wooyoung asks, his body language clearly unsure and unaware of what to do in a setting such as this.

San, on the other hand, looks completely relaxed and runs his fingers through his hair. Wooyoung’s cheeks pinken at the sight of San’s exposed forehead, knowing that his hair must be as soft and silky as it looks -- as he remembers it being.

San smiles at Wooyoung with the most reassuring smile he’s ever seen, “I come here often after hard nights at the Hide. An old friend of mine owns the place,” he explains.

Wooyoung nods, “Where are they?” He decides to not inquire about the definition of a ‘hard night’ for fear it would ruin the moment between them before it ever even started.

“He should be working tonight,” San chuckles, noticing the dismissal, and he appreciates it.

“I want to meet him,” Wooyoung says softly.

“And you will,” San replies smoothly, letting his hand fall back to his side, grazing Wooyoung’s on its way down, “And, Woo… Don’t worry too much, people from all kingdoms come to this pub, as it’s a crosspoint between many of them. You can relax here, I promise you.”

Wooyoung wants to believe San’s words, and his body does ease itself back into the stool a bit, but he keeps his guard up, “I’ll try to loosen up, I just… I don’t go out often.”

“You’ve never been to a pub, have you, Wooyoung?”

Wooyoung shakes his head and plays with his hair nervously, “No, ah- I haven’t really… gone anywhere, to be honest. I’ve always been cooped up face-first in my studies and even if I did want to go out, Mother denied me the right. I believe that’s why not very many of our people know my face as well as my Mother or Father, but it’s not so bad…”

San frowns sadly at Wooyoung’s reveal, “Not so bad? Woo, they’ve kept you as a prisoner. That’s far from ‘not so bad’ don’t you think?”

Wooyoung searches for a reply, but he’s afraid of the answer he’s found for San within his head.

It _was_ bad.

Wooyoung knew the truth. Of course, he did, but he tried not to let it bother him over the years.

San places a careful hand on Wooyoung’s shoulder, willing his eyes to meet his own, “Well, you’re out now, isn’t that right? And we’re going to have a wonderful time, I promise you.”

“That’s the second time you’ve said that tonight,” Wooyoung finds himself giggling at San’s mindless repetition in his words, “You sure do make me a lot of promise, San.”

“I wouldn’t make a promise I can’t keep, my--... Wooyoung.”

“Choi San, is that you?”

A light voice rings out from behind the bar, the voice soon able to be placed upon a man of small stature. Wooyoung studies him, noticing the man’s roughed-up hands and an equally as roughed-up face. As rigid as the man looks, in his eyes is nothing but kindness.

“Ji,” San smiles widely, extending the sound of his name, “It’s good to see you again.”

“Likewise, and so soon at that!” The man called ‘Ji’ replies.

San looks to Wooyoung and motions towards the man Wooyoung can only assume is the friend he was talking about, “Woo, this is Han Jisung. Ji, this is-”

“My, my… San, you never said that _this_ was the young lad,” Jisung says, his voice awestruck.

San smiles to himself, knowing that Jisung’s always been told about how much he adores someone. That someone being Wooyoung. Jisung was San’s confidant in all of his feelings and emotions towards Wooyoung, and now, Jisung realizes that the man San’s been so taken by is the Prince.

Prince Wooyoung.

It isn’t long after that when Jisung’s voice falls, realizing the true predicament his friend has found himself in.

“The one and only,” San replies, his eyes full of admiration as he looks at Wooyoung, letting himself do so only because Wooyoung is still looking at Jisung.

“So, what can I get for my two favorite customers?” Jisung smiles, leaning on the bartop.

“A cocktail will be fine,” San smiles, not taking his eyes off of Wooyoung until he notices him turning his head.

“I’ll have what he’s having,” Wooyoung says confidently, and San looks at him with widened eyes.

“I… don’t know if you should be drinking tonight, Woo.”

Wooyoung puffs out his bottom lip and leans further into him, “I’ve always wanted to try alcohol, I’ll pay,” he smiles, as if that would convince San into giving in to his wishes.

San eyes Wooyoung up and down, already well-aware of his small stature and thin frame, but he takes it in fully now. He’s so little, San thinks and knows that a man such as him wouldn’t do well with alcohol, especially the one he drinks, but those bright and bushy-tailed eyes melt his rebuttal to nothing.

“So…?” Wooyoung giggles, his cheerfulness filling the air around the three of them, lightening it easily.

San sighs and shakes his head, “Two cocktails, Ji.”

Wooyoung hops in his seat, his excitement becoming overwhelming as the liquor is being mixed behind the counter. Soon enough, the glasses are being placed in front of the two of them.

“Not your usual, eh, San?” Jisung hums and pulls a stool from behind the bar to sit with them for a moment while there are no other customers at the counter.

San shakes his head, picking up his drink and swirling it around a bit before taking a sip, “Not with him,” he says calmly, and Jisung nods in understanding. Of course, he’s not going to get someone strong with Wooyoung in his presence. He doesn’t need it, especially not tonight.

The hard stuff is reserved for when he comes here with the intent of getting intoxicated.

San glances over at Wooyoung, noticing him examining the dark amber liquid in his glass, even going as far as to smell it. He jerks his head back, shocked by the way the scent burns his nostrils, and San chuckles.

He doesn’t need any help being intoxicated tonight, not when Wooyoung is his favorite intoxicant.

“Take it slow, okay, Woo?” San says, turning his body towards him as he sees Wooyoung lifting the glass to his lips.

“I can handle myself just fine,” Wooyoung says matter-of-factly and San just shakes his head with a smirk when Wooyoung takes his first drink. To which, he coughs and sets it down immediately afterward, “That’s horrible,” he narrows his brows at the drink and looks back up to San and Jisung, “How do you drink this dirt?”

Jisung laughs out loud at Wooyoung’s comments, “It’s an acquired taste, my boy,” he taps the counter, “Do you want me to finish it for you?”

Wooyoung lifts his head as if to say no and picks up his glance once more, “I’m just fine, remember?” He stubbornly responds, drinking more of the putrid liquid.

San worries when he sees how quickly the liquor is disappearing from Wooyoung’s glass, “Wooyoung, slow down…” He tries, but is met with a finger held up to his face, saying ‘one moment please.’

Wooyoung slams the glass down, not hard, but enough to make a sound, “Absolutely vile,” his top lip curls up and he rests his elbow against the counter, his palm holding his chin as he looks over at San with slightly blurrier eyes than he came in with.

San shakes his head, cursing himself for letting Wooyoung get alcohol in the first place. He knew it wasn’t a good idea, but he’s been so sheltered, he thought maybe it wouldn’t hurt to let him do some things he wasn’t normally allowed to.

“Well, you’ve got yourself a keeper right there, San,” Jisung teases further, insinuating their questionable and undefined relationship.

San shoots Jisung a look, and Jisung just cheeses his crooked smile at him. He knows that the two of them are inevitable, but not in the more desired definition of the word, no -- the two of them are inevitably bound to go down in flames. At least, that’s how San always saw it in his head.

It won’t be long before Wooyoung is claimed for eternity by another, without him ever being blessed enough to be given a chance. There _was_ no chance in the first place.

The King and Queen would have his head if they knew Wooyoung was even out with San tonight.

The Queen… San’s face is twisted in disgust as he thinks of her, but he washes the thoughts down with another drink and focuses his attention on Jisung and Wooyoung conversing with each other.

“I’ve known him for many years now,” Jisung taps his fingers against his chin, remembering the day he first met San in this pub, “And you?”

Wooyoung catches San’s gaze as he looks over at him with glazed-over eyes, remembering when he sent Yeosang out to find him in the town in order to bring him to his room, “It feels like much longer than it truly has been,” he giggles loudly, “You finally came back to us?”

“I never left,” San says, but he knows he _was_ zoning out a bit.

Wooyoung’s movements are more loose than normal and he continuously fidgets, his body wanting to slip off of the stool he’s sitting on. He looks down at his hands as he thinks about what he wants to say back, unable to hold back the words that spill from his mouth, “I wish you wouldn’t,” he slurs.

Jisung senses the tension between the two and picks up Wooyoung’s long-emptied glass and nods his head at them before he goes back to his normal bar duties, more people have come in and are now sitting at the counter.

San’s face is hot as he hears Wooyoung’s clearly inebriated words, and he’s sure the heat is accompanied by redness. He wants to say it’s from the alcohol he’s had, but he underestimates the power that Wooyoung’s words have over him.

“I wish you’d never leave,” Wooyoung furthers, not letting San’s gaze falter from his own.

San’s chest tightens and he feels like his heart stops, “I… think I should get you back home now, Wooyoung.”

San leads Wooyoung back to the castle, having him mostly slung over his shoulder in order to help his legs work properly, “I’m never letting you drink again,” he chuckles.

“Ah, why not?” Wooyoung whines, his bottom lip puffed out in a pout as he’s now leaning up against the walls of the castle, just next to the entrance to the secret door.

“You’re a handful like this,” San teases and opens the door, “Now shh…”

“I always am,” Wooyoung drunkenly comments as San helps him through the passageway, silencing his voice the best he can. His steps, on the other hand, are harder to conceal. San is just about carrying him by the time they finally get to the end, where Wooyoung’s room is on the other side.

San opens the door as quietly as he can and helps Wooyoung through, into his bedroom. Wooyoung’s clinging onto the loose fabric of San’s shirt as he stumbles into the room, trying not to make a sound, and he winds up pulling San into him. San softens their fall by catching the ground with his hands, and he looks to Wooyoung’s eyes with worry.

“Are you okay, my Prince?” San whispers, barely audible.

Wooyoung’s face is flushed as he stares up at San, his mind not thinking logically at the moment, so he just nods, his lips slightly parted.

San smiles warmly, “Let’s get you into bed…”

Wooyoung allows for San to help him under the covers and his heart is pounding, “D-Don’t leave,” He murmurs when he sees San turning to leave after planting a soft kiss on his forehead. His skin is still burning underneath where San had placed his lips.

San looks back at Wooyoung with a sad look and a finger to his lips, pointing towards the door where he knows Wooyoung’s night guard must be standing outside of.

“Don’t leave,” Wooyoung says louder when San takes another step, as he tries to lean his hand over to his side table to grab his lantern, but it makes a loud _clink!_ noise when he attempts to light it.

San’s eyes widen at the sound and he quickly looks around, rushing back to Wooyoung’s bed since it’s closest and he crawls under it just before the door to Wooyoung’s room opens.

“Prince Wooyoung? Is everything okay? I thought I heard a noise coming from in here,” The night guard calls, but the room is dark and there’s the outline of a body in the Prince’s bed.

Wooyoung pulled the covers up over his body after leaving the lantern on the side table and he tries not to make a sound, pretending to be in deep slumber as he hears his night guard’s footsteps get closer to his bed frame.

“Prince?” His voice goes down to a whisper when he sees that Wooyoung is indeed asleep, and he shakes his head, thoughts of himself going crazy running through his mind as he walks back to his post. He shuts the door gently, not wanting to wake the Prince, but the suspicions arising within him only stir further.

San waits a few moments before he slides out from under the bed, poking his head out to see Wooyoung leaning over his bed to look at him already. A big smile is spread on his face as he sits back up, waiting for San to stand up again.

“Come here,” Wooyoung whispers, his words still slightly mumbled from the alcohol, but his voice is full of need.

San bites the inside of his cheek, debating on granting Wooyoung’s request, but he gives in.

Of course.

Wooyoung pats next to him on the bed, and San obliges once more.

“C-Can I kiss you…?” Wooyoung asks, his hushed voice now shaking for fear of San’s answer.

San’s heartbeat pounds even harder than it was when Wooyoung’s night guard almost caught them, but he unconsciously finds himself nodding. He waits until Wooyoung makes the first move, putting his hand atop San’s shoulder before San’s hands find Wooyoung’s face and their lips connect.

Wooyoung’s mouth moves against San’s with need, but the liquor coursing through his veins makes his movements slow. His skin burns under San’s touch, and he yearns for more, but his body can’t do it.

San slowly parts from the kiss and gives Wooyoung a tender kiss on the forehead, “Get some rest tonight, Woo… I will see you soon, okay?” San’s voice waivers, hoping that he will be seeing Wooyoung sooner than their usual meeting time. Especially after that kiss.

Wooyoung looks up at San sleepily, his lips plump from the kiss, and he rubs his eyes to make sure he gets a lasting memory of San’s beauty tonight.

“San…” Wooyoung whispers after San already left through the hidden entrance. The man who’s come to ignite Wooyoung’s entire existence on fire just kissed him. His world is up in flames, and he sure as hell isn’t looking for anything to help put it out. If anything, he’s on the hunt for ash.

Ash that will help keep that fire in him burning longer.

Wooyoung wishes that he could make that fire burn forever, but he knows that it will soon extinguish.

**End of Chapter Eleven**


	12. Chapter Twelve

_“My Queen, I believe something suspicious is going on with our Prince Wooyoung. I thought I had heard voices coming from there last night, and then I had heard the sound of glass. When I went into the room, the Prince appeared to be asleep in bed, but I was ordered to report anything amiss.”_

_“Ah, I will check into it myself, thank you. You’re welcome to change shifts with the day guard now.”_

The door to Wooyoung’s bedroom opens loudly, and is shut with a hint of force. The sudden ruckus wakes Wooyoung up from his sleep, and he’s met by the face of his mother in front of his own.

“How was your night?” Queen Siyeon asks, clear disinterest in her tone when asking the question.

Wooyoung’s eyes are wide as he sits up, resting back on his hands, “It was… peaceful, why do you ask, Mother?”

Queen Siyeon’s eyes narrow at Wooyoung, getting closer to examine his face closely, “I suspect that you’re up to no good, you little devil,” she sneers, pulling the collar of Wooyoung’s night garbs to yank him closer, “And I _will_ figure out what you’re up to.”

“Mother, I-” Wooyoung starts, his heart rate picking up at the accusations, but is cut off.

“You’re a whore, aren’t you?” Queen Siyeon’s lips turn upwards into a sinister smile, “I bet you’re sneaking the whole kingdom in here to fuck, aren’t you?”

Wooyoung’s eyebrows furrow, becoming angrier and angrier the more she goes on. His blood boils under his mother’s touch, feeling her grip on his collar tightening. Wooyoung grits his teeth in an attempt to contain his venomous words that threaten to come out.

He’s unable to hold back any longer.

“Like mother like son,” Wooyoung spits, and he watches as his mother’s face twists into a furious look of hatred.

_Slap!_

The loud sound of skin slapping against skin erupts at the same time as the bedroom door opening once again, revealing Yeosang.

Queen Siyeon keeps her back turned, but Wooyoung’s reddening face is visible from behind her stature. Yeosang’s eyes go wide at first, but he swallows his anger and tries to keep his face neutral as he walks up to the two of them, a tray of breakfast in his hands.

“Good morning, my Queen, my Prince… I’m here to bring Prince Wooyoung his breakfast this morning,” Yeosang explains, carefully placing the tray onto the bed, trying not to look up at Wooyoung, or the Queen, but he can’t help but try and steal a glance at Wooyoung.

He’s looking anywhere but at him.

Yeosang sees the side of Wooyoung’s face growing a darker red by the second, and it isn’t hard to miss the tears surrounding his lower lash line, daring to fall down his cheeks at any second. Yeosang wishes so badly to take his Prince into a hug and tell him that it’s okay and that he will take care of him, but he can’t.

By God, he can’t, not with the Queen in the room. He must pretend like he didn’t see a thing.

Wooyoung feels the tingling sensation of burning left on the side of his face, the pain willing tears to well up in his eyes, but he vows not to let them fall in front of his mother.

“Good morning,” Queen Siyeon says half-heartedly, having let go of Wooyoung’s collar, letting him fall back onto his bed. She stands up straight, flattening out her day gown, “Wooyoung, I expect for you to say goodbye to Jeong Yunho today. I also expect for you to stay in this room afterward, I’ve canceled your lessons for today.”

“Yes, Mother.”

With that, Queen Siyeon leaves, leaving Yeosang and Wooyoung in the room of thick air and deafening silence as Wooyoung finally lets his tears fall. His eyes grow blurry from the water within them, and he can’t bring himself to wipe his tears, feeling them drip down his neck and when he leans forward, onto his trembling hands.

“P-Prince Wooyoung…” Yeosang starts, not expecting his voice to shake like that.

Wooyoung shakes his head and a whimper escapes his mouth, his bottom lip quivering heavily as his mind runs wild.

Wooyoung knows that his night guard must’ve said something to his mother about last night. He must’ve heard more than just the clinking of the lantern’s glass. He must’ve heard his voice, and if he heard his voice, he definitely heard _San’s_.

His shoulders slump as his body closes in on itself, curling his arms around his stomach as he hunches over in bed, the tingling pain of the smack turning into a burning. Wooyoung almost got San in trouble yet again, and the guilt he feels is almost more painful than the burning skin. He could’ve gotten San hanged by getting him caught like that.

Hanged…

Wooyoung remembers the dream he had a few nights ago and shivers at the thought, only taken out of his ever so dangerous mind by the sound of Yeosang’s caring voice.

“Prince Wooyoung, it’s going to be okay,” Yeosang gently touches Wooyoung’s shoulder, trying to get him to meet his eyes, “I’m going to get some salve for your face, okay? I promise I will be right back, and the pain will go away.”

Wooyoung does meet Yeosang’s eyes, but he isn’t sure about his words.

Will the pain go away?

His time with San is only dwindling.

Wooyoung doesn’t hear when Yeosang gets up and leaves the room, only registering movement when he feels Yeosang’s fingertips applying the salve onto his face.

“There… See? I have a few of these jars from the physician. They’ll cool the skin and lessen the pain,” Yeosang explains, but his voice is laced with worry as Wooyoung’s eyes still seem glazed over with sorrow.

“Thank you…” Wooyoung chokes out, his voice hardly above a whisper, “I’ll be back to normal soon, just… I need just a bit longer,” He says, trying to offer a smile, but he feels too weak.

Yeosang nods, “Whenever you’re ready, Wooyoung.”

Wooyoung got dressed with the help of Yeosang after a few more moments of soft crying, but after the crying turned into subtle sniffles, Wooyoung stood up from his bed, ready for the day ahead.

~

“I’ll be back for your marriage ceremony with my husband Minho,” Yunho says, a smile on his face as he hugs his best friend, “Don’t worry, Woo, I will still write.”

Wooyoung squeezes Yunho more than normal today, his heart aching at Yunho’s departure, “You better write to me… It always seems like I’m the one sending all the letters.”

“I promise this time, I’ll be more on top of it,” Yunho and Wooyoung part from their hug.

Wooyoung smiles up at Yunho, “I can’t wait to meet Minho, Yun.”

Yunho gives Wooyoung’s head a small pat before he turns and heads towards the carriage to take him home, “You’ll like him, he’s… He’s a good man, Woo.”

Wooyoung shows a big smile, feeling happy for his best friend, knowing that he always talked of wanting to get married when they were younger. He always wondered who he would end up with since Yunho had the biggest crush on Mingi.

“Be safe,” Wooyoung calls out as the carriage door closes, Yunho’s face still visible through the carriage window. He sees him about to sit down but sees Yunho’s eyes widen, making Wooyoung confused.

Mingi coughs from behind Wooyoung, trying to be casual, but it’s hardly working. His eyes are focused on the carriage where Yunho’s head stays poked out of the window, their gazes meeting almost instantly.

Yunho’s heart leaps in his chest as he holds Mingi’s gaze, making sure he gets a long-lasting look of Mingi while he still can. Suddenly, the carriage begins to move and he doesn’t want to leave, he doesn’t want to go back home. Watching Mingi get smaller and smaller as the carriage takes him away tugs on the strings of Yunho’s heart.

In that moment, Yunho realizes what a big mistake his life has been.

Wooyoung sees the way Yunho doesn’t take his eyes off of Mingi as he’s taken away, seeing the look of longing and sadness on his face. He looks down at his fingers, fumbling with them for a moment while he thinks about San. He knows he’s going to have the same look on his face when he has to leave San.

It’s inevitable…

That night, Wooyoung is lying awake in his bed. His night guard having checked on him long ago according to the moon’s placement in the sky outside of his window. He can’t get his mind off of San.

Wooyoung slips out of his bed as quietly as he can, sliding into a night robe over his nightclothes, not bothering changing out of them as he makes his way over to the secret door.

He has to see San…

Wooyoung makes his way, a bit haphazardly, through the tunnel leading to the outside, his movements becoming frantic as soon as he breathes in the air beyond the castle door. He gets to the Hide quickly, knowing he looks like a mess, but he continues to walk towards where he remembers San’s room being.

Wooyoung’s mind is so preoccupied, he doesn’t realize someone is in front of him until he collides with the tall figure.

“S-Seonghwa?” Wooyoung looks up at Seonghwa, hoping his face doesn’t look as messy as his clothing or as wrecked as his mind.

Seonghwa studies the little Prince in front of him, steadying him by placing his hands on his shoulders, seeing the clearly emotional look adorning Wooyoung’s face. The look causes him to start reminiscing of when he was younger and had a similar look when he lost his lover to someone else.

“What are you doing here at this hour, Wooyoung?” Seonghwa asks with a hint of concern, remembering how the Prince had preferred his real name and not his title.

Wooyoung looks down at Seonghwa’s hands on his shoulders and sees that one of his fingers glints with a small ring.

“I… I wanted to see San,” Wooyoung says, sounding as if he’s out of breath.

Seonghwa sighs, letting his hands fall back to his sides, “My dear, San is taken for the night. Apologies for you having come all the way out here, but if you’d like, you could come have some tea with me. You seem a bit, how shall I say, worked up?”

Wooyoung just nods, trying not to be too sad about San’s booking, and trying not to think about the acts he’s engaging in, “I would like that very much, thank you…”

Seonghwa takes Wooyoung back to his room and they sit down at the small table just as they had at the party San took him to.

Wooyoung looks down at the teacup in front of him, watching as Seonghwa pours him some, his eye catching the ring again, “Seonghwa?”

“Yes, dear?” Seonghwa sits down across from Wooyoung after pouring both of their cups.

“Where did you get that ring?”

Seonghwa’s face heats up at the question, holding out his hand for them both to admire the silver ring decorating his finger, “Ah, this?” A melancholy look settles on Seonghwa’s face, but there is a hint of reminiscence coming back to him, “It’s from my first love,” he begins to explain, “I must’ve been just about your age when we had to split apart.”

“What happened? Why are you two not still together?” Wooyoung asks, afraid to hear about another heartbreaking situation, but his curiosity is piqued.

“He had… Commitments… That were more than our relationship. Commitments that he couldn’t just abandon, and ones that I couldn’t coincide with, not that I wouldn’t’ve… It was more complicated than that,” Seonghwa chuckles, “But what love isn’t a little complicated… He and I had very different situations that we were in, and as you can see, Wooyoung, I work at the Hide. I may not be a worker as much as I had been, but this is still who I am. His family would never have allowed him to wed someone like me. In fact, I’m not sure if he ever did tell his parents about me. Our love was more of a secret for everyone he knew. He knew my mother, though. He’d visit her often…” Seonghwa’s voice trails off for a second, his eyes getting lost in the tea in front of him.

Seonghwa clears his voice and focuses back on Wooyoung, a smile still on his lips, “He was to be married to someone else, you see… We stopped seeing each other for a while, but he had come to see me for a few nights not long into his marriage. I still feel… rather guilty about those nights of his infidelity, but back then, I was so happy he had come back to me. I just wish he could’ve stayed.”

Wooyoung’s heart aches at Seonghwa’s story of his long lost love, causing his eyes to water, “Where is he now? Have you seen each other since? When did he give you the ring?” Wooyoung’s intrigue came out in the form of questions.

“He actually has a ring just like this one,” Seonghwa smiles down at the beautiful silver on his finger, “We gave them to each other as a promise of our eternal love for one another no matter the circumstances. He is still here in the kingdom, but we haven’t seen each other purposefully since those nights many many years ago.”

“Do you miss him…?

“Every day of my life,” Seonghwa replies easily.

“Do you still love him?”

Seonghwa chuckles, “I still have the ring he gave me, do I not?” He smiles, “That kind of love never fades, Wooyoung. The love we shared was just as our rings represent. Eternality.”

Wooyoung nods, thinking of San as Seonghwa speaks, a yawn escaping his mouth to show just how late it truly is.

“Oh, Wooyoung, please, you should be getting back home. I will tell San that you stopped by to see him,” Seonghwa says, standing up from the table along with Wooyoung as he nods sleepily.

“Tell him that I’ll await our next night together,” Wooyoung mumbles, sleep slowly overtaking him as he walks out of the Hide and back to the castle.

“Of course. Be careful, Wooyoung…”

On his way back, he sees a dark figure that has an outline similar to his mother also going into the castle, but through the front.

Where had she come from…? Wooyoung wonders to himself, but the disdain for her from earlier comes back to him and he shakes it off, not wanting to think about his mother’s likely infidelities right now. He’s known about them for a while, but he never knew why she did it, nor where she would go to engage like that.

Wooyoung eases back into his bed, staring up at the ceiling as his eyelids flutter closed, thinking of Seonghwa and his past lover as himself and San. It sends him off into a sad, emotion-filled sleep, and he knows his dreams will haunt him just as reality does.

**End of Chapter Twelve**

**Author's Note:**

> if you enjoy my stories, feel free to follow me on Twitter @Pinearah <3


End file.
